


Of Daisies and Dinner Parties

by Blueskylover



Series: Eiji is Basically a Housewife [5]
Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flowers, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2020-07-23 22:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20015881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueskylover/pseuds/Blueskylover
Summary: In which Eiji gets roped into throwing a dinner party, attempts to make a cake, and spills some secrets.





	1. Daisies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! ♥︎  
> I am back with (most likely) the last installment in the 'Eiji is Basically a Housewife' series.
> 
> The other works in the series are: [ Of Chocolates and (Valentine's) Cards ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17766752/chapters/41921489),[ Of Cookies and Carols ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17100377/chapters/40215827),[ Of Pumpkins and Pancakes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16149044/chapters/37732670), and [ Of Sweaters and Sweet Potatoes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16881315/chapters/39646920)! Not mandatory to read the other stories first, but I highly recommend you do so. :>
> 
> I hope that you enjoy! ♡

Eiji hummed softly as he arranged the bouquet of daisies in the glass vase sitting on the kitchen table. He paused when he noticed some of the flowers were starting to droop down the side of the container, most likely the result of the vase being overfilled. Each week the size of the bouquets he had been receiving was slowly growing, and the brunet had already gone through three or four vases in an attempt to contain the weekly assortments.   
  
Glancing down at the handwritten card attached to the bouquet always made his heart flutter. They tended to be sentiments or compliments that Ash most likely could not bring himself to say in person. Eiji kept all of them and tended to reread them whenever he would get a gnawing feeling in his gut over the other boy being out too long or coming home too late.  
  
In the middle of separating the assortment into different vases, Eiji heard a few knocks on the door. The brunet shifted nervously in his seat, he wasn’t expecting Bones or Kong today.   
  
“Eiji, it’s me. Open up,” Max’s voice was faintly discernible from the hallway.   
  
Letting out a sigh of relief, the Japanese boy unlocked the front door to be greeted by the older man. “How are you, Max?”  
  
“Jeez, always so polite, Shunichi is the same way—“ he stopped mid-sentence as his eyes landed on the ring on the Japanese boy's finger. A knowing grin slowly spread across the older man's face.  
  
Once he noticed Max’s staring, the brunet sheepishly tried to hide his hand behind his back.   
  
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Max playfully tugged at Eiji’s arm so he could get a better view of the white-gold band. “Don’t tell me I missed the wedding?"  
  
“I-It is not like that,” the brunet stammered, his face quickly heating up.   
  
“Edward!”   
  
Both of them turned to see Mrs. Coleman hurrying over from the elevator, nearly dropping her dry cleaning as she rushed to greet Max. Eiji wasn’t sure if he was relieved or terrified that she had interrupted their conversation.  
  
“Nice to see you again,” Max responded politely as he shook their neighbor’s hand. The look on his face clearly signaled that he had forgotten her name.   
  
_What kind of journalist forgets people’s names so quickly?_  
  
“I am surprised you are home from South Africa so early, I remember Eiji mentioning you would be there another week or so.”   
  
“Ah, well, I had to get back for, uh,” the older man paused as he quickly glanced around the hallway. “Ash’s birthday in a few days,” he finished confidently.   
  
“W-what?” Eiji spluttered, caught off guard by the response.   
  
_It wasn’t really Ash’s birthday, was it?_  
  
A beat of silence passed before a huge smile spread across Mrs. Coleman’s face, “Oh, how lovely! That must mean you will be in New York this week, then?”  
  
“Well, I couldn’t miss my boy’s birthday, could I?"   
  
“Great! We all have to celebrate. Mark and I will come over for dinner, how does Thursday sound?”  
  
“That sounds great, right, Eiji?” Max winked as he threw an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders.  
  
“I—"  
  
“Splendid, oh I’ll make sure to invite Leslie and Chad, too.” Mrs. Coleman nodded as she turned towards her apartment, "Well, I have to go hang this laundry up, so I will see you both on Thursday. Say hello to Ash for me; I will make sure to buy him something nice!”   
  
_What just happened?_ The Japanese boy stared incredulously at the closing door across the hall.  
  
“What a pushy woman,” Max let out a sigh. Seconds later, a mischievous grin crossed the journalist's face, “however, I am excited to sample my future son-in-law’s cooking at this birthday party.”   
  
Eiji swatted the other man’s arm off his shoulder. “What is it that you want, Max?”  
  
“It can wait until Thursday, I will see you then, soon-to-be Mr. Okumura-Calenreese.”  
  
The brunet glared at the older man, who seemed to be _truly_ enjoying himself. “Goodbye, Max,” he muttered as he headed into the apartment, then promptly shut the door.  
  
***   
  
Pushing a piece of sweet and sour chicken around on his plate with his chopsticks, Eiji’s stomach churned in anticipation. _Why was he always put in these situations?_  
  
Ash, who was eating rice straight out of the takeout carton, which the brunet had told him multiple times not to do, was giving him a questioning look.  
  
“Um… Max was here today,” Eiji started awkwardly. He grimaced at the other boy sticking his chopsticks upright in the container of rice. “Ash, that is gross, what if I want to eat that tomorrow?"  
  
“Aw, sweetie, don’t be like that,” the blond teased in a sickly sweet voice, “one body, one soul until death do us part, isn’t that right my dear fiancé?”   
  
Eiji pursed his lips and turned towards the window in silence. Anything he chose to say would just result in more teasing, anyways.   
  
Glancing at the windowsill, he noticed some of the carnations in one of the overfilled vases were starting to lose their red petals. No matter how many times Ash made fun of him for it, or complained about the apartment turning into a garden, Eiji insisted on keeping all of the flowers until they died. Besides, he could tell the blond enjoyed it since he had caught the other boy smelling the bouquets several times out of the corner of his eye.   
  
“You said Max came by, right?” Ash decided to break the silence. “I told him to just come to the hideout if he needed to relay information.”  
  
“He was here... but when he was outside, Mrs. Coleman came to talk to us—”  
  
“What?” The blond said abruptly, “That idiot didn’t say anything, did he?”  
  
“Well, um,” Eiji trailed off as he stared past Ash’s shoulder at the wall. He could feel the other boy’s intense gaze on him. “He said that it was your birthday this week."  
  
The tense atmosphere seemed to instantly melt away as the blond burst out laughing. Eiji felt his face warm as he glanced away from the wall to look at Ash. The skin around his green eyes crinkled and bits of rice came flying out of his mouth as he continued to laugh.  
  
“My birthday,” he said after a few breaths. “I didn’t know it was already August, I could have sworn it was April today."  
  
“August?” Eiji gasped, “your birthday passed, and you said nothing?”  
  
“What’s more surprising is that my lovely fiancé doesn’t even know the day I was born,” the blond smirked.   
  
“Wait, I did not say that! It was Max—“  
  
“I’m so hurt, Eiji.” Ash dramatically leaned back in his chair and put his hand over his heart.  
  
“Y-you do not even know my birthday,” the Japanese boy scoffed.   
  
“Sure, I do.”  
  
“Okay, when is it?"  
  
“It’s in…” Ash paused for a moment before finishing, “May.”  
  
What? How did he know?  
  
“Fine,” Eiji glared across the table, “what is the day?”  
  
“I don’t need to say, I have already proven myself as the better fiancé here,” the blond gave a smug grin before continuing to eat out of the container of rice.   
  
The brunet bit back a response as he angrily picked up his chopsticks. He figured he should refrain from mentioning that their neighbors were going to be coming over until Ash decided to stop acting like a brat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how long it took me to add another installment to this series. Juggling grad school, internships, and mental health issues have not given me much time to sit down and write confidently. However, I have had this story in mind for quite some time and I am glad that I am finally getting to writing/uploading it. 
> 
> Updates may be a little sporadic, but I really appreciate all of you who have read, given comments, and kudos to my series, it means a lot to me. ♥︎ 
> 
> As per usual, you can always find me on my [Tumblr](http://queensgrove.tumblr.com/) and I also now have a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/queensgrove96) account!


	2. Carnations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who finished their master's coursework? This girl right here!! I was gutted I couldn't get this out in time for Ash's birthday, but better late than never! 
> 
> I also saw [these](https://twitter.com/KoyasuYasuko12/status/1148996484131463170) [two](https://twitter.com/KoyasuYasuko12/status/1148957676170170369) beautiful fanarts and had to incorporate them into the story. Hope you enjoy! ♥︎

Adjusting the canvas grocery bag on his shoulder, Eiji squinted at the list in his hand. He wasn’t that good at reading words in English in the first place, and Ash’s hastily scrawled additions from earlier in the morning did not make it any easier.   
  
“G'afternoon, Mr. Okumura,” the security guard waved him over as soon as he exited the elevator. “Your weekly delivery just got here not even an hour ago."  
  
The older man's knowing grin made Eiji’s cheeks feel warm as he apprehensively walked over to the front desk.  
  
“I know it has already been a month or so since you started receiving these,” the guard paused as he reached under the desk and pulled out a bouquet of flowers. "But somehow it seems every new delivery is bigger and more beautiful each time." He handed over the arrangement with a wink.   
  
The brunet couldn’t help the smile from spreading across his face as he turned the bouquet in his hands. Red carnations were wrapped in layers of thin, white paper and secured with a crimson bow. A small white envelope was nestled in the middle of the arrangement.   
  
Carefully holding the bouquet in the crux of his elbow, the Japanese boy flipped open the envelope.  
  
_Eiji —_  
  
_Shouldn’t I be the one getting flowers, since it is my birthday and all?_  
  
The brunet huffed and rolled his eyes, but continued reading.  
  
_Anyways, even though it’s not actually my birthday, I am glad I get to spend my 'fake birthday’ with you, in our apartment, and not in the back of Max’s smelly truck._  
  
Eiji chuckled at the memory. Him, Ash, Shorter and Ibe-san all crowded in Max’s car, constantly bickering or sleeping as they drove all the way across the country to California.  
  
_Hope these are enough to replace the wilted ones on the window, it hurts me to see you upset._  
  
_All my love,_  
_Aslan_  
  
“—Oh, Eiji, there you are,” he half-heard Mrs. Owens call from across the lobby. The sound of their neighbor’s voice quickly pulled him out of his daze. Looking up, the brunet let out a silent gasp when he noticed the woman rushing towards him with several bags in her arms.   
  
“I was hoping to run into you,” she paused as her eyes landed on the bouquet in his arms, a small smile spreading across her face. “Those are beautiful. From Ash, right?”  
  
Averting his gaze, Eiji scratched his chin sheepishly and responded with a small nod.   
  
“What a romantic choice, you know red carnations symbolize deep love and devotion,” their neighbor sighed wistfully.   
  
Flowers _have meanings?_ He stared down at the bouquet incredulously.   
  
“Anyway, I am getting off-topic, Denise told me you are having a dinner party for Ash’s birthday, and I hope you don’t mind, but I _may_ have invited a few more people.”   
  
“How many people,” the brunet paled, somehow he already knew the answer.  
  
“Well, only Mrs. Johnson and her husband, Mary, Geraldine, Barb, their husbands, of course, Elaine said she wanted to come too,” she trailed off. “So, just around fifteen or so.”  
  
“F-fifteen?”   
  
“Well, dear, a lot of people are very curious about you both. Two young boys living alone, Ash leaving early in the morning and returning late at night, not to mention how handsome he is. I cannot begin to tell you how many women have asked me to introduce him to their daughters.”  
  
Eiji felt his throat go dry. _This was bad, very bad._   
  
“Don’t worry, I made sure to tell them he was very happily engaged,” Mrs. Owens chuckled. “Wait, there I go getting off-topic yet again. I wanted to give you this.”   
  
She pulled out a garment from one of the bags she was holding. “It’s my lucky apron, I wore it for my first dinner party. I remember being so nervous that I would mess up and then all the other wives would hate me or they would do something extreme, like finding out all of my secrets or something."  
  
A sudden coldness ran through his body, the flowers in the crook of his arm began to feel infinitely heavier as the grocery bag slipped from his shoulder and fell to the floor.   
  
“You are going to be fine, dear,” she smiled reassuringly, picking up the canvas bag from the ground and placing it in his hand, along with the orange apron.  
  
“R-right,” he responded weakly.   
  
“Anyway, I’m off to Zumba, see you on Thursday.” Mrs. Owens waved as she headed towards the exit.   
  
Before he had a chance to take a single step, their neighbor turned and called out, “I almost forgot, but Barb is on keto right now.” She then walked out of the building, leaving Eiji to stare helplessly at the closing door.  
  
_Ke-what?_  
  
***  
  
Staring down listlessly at his cup of tea, Eiji felt his stomach churn. He had no idea having guests over for dinner would be this high stakes. Apparently, one mistake could potentially result in their neighbors finding out everything.   
  
He still needed to clean the apartment and find a vase for the newest bouquet, not to mention he had no idea what food he was going to make.  
  
The sound of the front door opening nearly caused him to knock over the mug.  
  
“Clumsy as ever, I see,” Ash teased as he threw his jacket over the couch.  
  
“I am not, you just surprise me,” Eiji huffed.   
  
“Yeah, sure,” the blond replied sarcastically, pulling out the chair to sit across from him. The mischievous grin fell from his face as he noticed the untouched bouquet laying on the table.   
  
“Do you not like them,” he asked quietly, a tinge of sadness quickly becoming visible in his green eyes.  
  
“N-no, Ash, of course, I like them,” Eiji rushed to interject. “I just, um..” he trailed off, not quite sure where to begin.  
  
“Did something happen?”  
  
“Ah, well, I ran into Mrs. Owens downstairs when I picked up the flowers.”  
  
“Yeah?”   
  
He bit his lip before continuing hesitantly, “She said to me that more people would come on Thursday.. around fifteen.” After he finished speaking, Eiji turned away, bracing himself for some type of jeering or angry remark.  
  
“Fifteen, huh,” Ash put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. “Gonna need a bigger table than this."  
  
Eiji sat back in stunned silence. “You are not upset?”   
  
“Can’t blame them for being nosy, I guess.”   
  
The brunet let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. A wave of relief momentarily washing over him.   
  
A stretch of silence passed before Ash pushed out his chair and stood up, putting both hands on the table. “Actually, I decided that I am upset."   
  
“W-What?”  
  
“My dearest fiancé hasn’t asked me what kind of birthday cake I wanted, you only get to turn nineteen once,” an impish smile forming on his lips, “or in my case, I suppose it is twice.”  
  
“Fine,” Eiji let out an exasperated sigh, "what do you want?”  
  
“Mustard.”  
  
“It is in the refrigerator—”  
  
“No,” the blond interrupted. “The cake. I want a mustard cake.”  
  
Eiji stared at the other boy, incredulously. He must have misunderstood. “You want mustard on the cake?”   
  
“Or in it, doesn’t really matter,” Ash shrugged.   
  
“I do not understand. I cannot do that.”  
  
“I’m so hurt.” Ash stuck out his lower lip in what appeared to be a poorly attempted pout, "My own fiancé isn’t even willing to give me a cake on my birthday,”   
  
“Fine,” the Japanese boy grumbled. _What had he just gotten himself into?_  
  
With a self-satisfied grin, the blond jumped out of his seat to started to unwrap the bouquet of flowers. Eiji watched as pale, slender fingers untied the ribbon and pushed back the layers of tissue paper.   
  
“What should I cook for the dinner?”  
  
Without looking up from trimming the flowers over the sink, Ash smirked, “Why don’t you ask your fellow housewives? I’m sure they could give you some tips."  
  
“I-I am not a housewife,” Eiji retorted as he stood up, narrowing his eyes at the blond.   
  
“If you aren’t a housewife, then why are you wearing that bright orange apron with polka dots.”  
  
Looking down, he was mortified to find that he was wearing the apron that Mrs. Owens had given him. He had forgotten that he was adjusting the straps earlier and neglected to take it off.   
  
Placing the flowers down on a paper towel, Ash walked over from the kitchen. He came so close that Eiji could feel the other boy's breath on his neck. “Are you trying to seduce me, then?”   
  
“W-what,” Eiji squeaked, his face quickly warming.   
  
“Going to cook breakfast for me in nothing but that apron,” the blond whispered, slowly running a finger down his arm.  
  
“No way,” he yelped, lightly pushing away Ash, who had broken into a fit of laughter. “Is that what you Americans like? That is gross!”   
  
“I’m just kidding, you probably would burn the breakfast anyway,” Ash said in-between breathless laughs, wiping away the tears forming in the corner of his eyes.  
  
“What did you say? You say you want natto on your birthday?”   
  
“Wait, now you want to torture this whole apartment building, not just me?”  
  
“You say you want me to keep the apartment in one piece, so I will make a Japanese dinner, it will be a great birthday treat.” It was his turn to giggle while the other stood in stunned silence.   
  
_He could at least cook his own culture’s food properly.. for the most part. This was one he couldn’t mess up, right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mustard cake was inspired by this [amazing tweet](https://twitter.com/kybelles/status/1160578110175240192?s=20)
> 
> As usual, you can always find me on my [Tumblr](http://queensgrove.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/queensgrove96)!


	3. Mackerel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I plan on writing almost this entire chapter about a trip to the grocery store? Nope, but it is fluff week so that's my excuse! :>
> 
> Hope you enjoy ♡

"Ash, get up!" Eiji gritted his teeth as he attempted to pull the covers away from the blond, who was still sleeping his bed comfortably, despite his promise that he would be awake and dressed by seven-thirty. Yesterday, Ash had reluctantly given in to Eiji's pleading to take him to the nearest Asian market. The day of the dinner party was approaching faster than expected, and the Japanese boy was certain that the grocery store downstairs did not sell many of the important ingredients he needed.   
  
"'s too early," Ash grumbled from underneath the pile of blankets.   
  
"I already tell you that we have to go when they open. To get the fresh food."   
  
“Who cares ‘bout the fresh stuff?"   
  
"I do," the brunet snapped as he gave one final yank to the covers. This time, he successfully pulled them off of the bed, which resulted in Ash being tossed to the floor with an unceremonious thud.   
  
“There, now you are out of bed,” Eiji huffed as the blond stared up at him blearily, it seemed he was slowly realizing that he was no longer laying on the mattress, and now was on the carpet.   
  
“It is already twenty minutes past eight, Ash,” he announced loudly, putting his hands on his hips and waited for some type of response. Not surprisingly, his words were met with silence.   
  
Narrowing his eyes, Eiji figured he would have to resort to his usual method that tended to wake Ash up the fastest. He grabbed the other boy’s arm, dragging him into the bathroom and dumping him into the bathtub. “You ask for this,” he grumbled as he turned the faucet on, causing cold water to shoot out from the shower.   
  
As the frigid water hit his body, Ash made a noise that sounded like something between a hiss and a groan.   
  
“You have five minutes,” Eiji said as he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.   
  
***   
  
Every other second, Eiji found himself anxiously glancing from his half-empty cup of coffee to the clock on the wall. He had almost memorized the directions from their apartment to the market in the time that he sat waiting.   
  
What felt like hours later, but in reality was only around four and a half minutes, Ash finally strolled out of the bedroom. The blond let out an obnoxious yawn as he made his way over to the coffee pot.  
  
“What are you doing! We need to leave,” Eiji fumed as he attempted to grab the mug out of the other boy’s hands.   
  
“Woah, there, Grandpa.” Ash laughed as he held up the cup, so it was out of his reach. “Not everyone can wake up early and function without caffeine."   
  
“If you wake up when I tell you, then you would have time for coffee!”  
  
“But where’s the fun in that?”   
  
Narrowing his eyes, Eiji stood up with a huff. “Fine, I will go by myself.” He almost made it out the door before he felt Ash’s hand on his wrist.   
  
“Let me just find the car keys,” he said quietly.   
  
“But it is only a five-minute walk,” the brunet groaned as he watched Ash dig through his jacket pockets.   
  
“It’s safer to take the car.”   
  
“There are no people outside, I just looked out the window—”   
  
“That’s even more dangerous,” Ash interrupted, pulling the keys out of one of the jackets thrown over the couch.   
  
Eiji couldn’t help but groan as they walked towards the elevator. _The store was right around the corner, wasn’t Ash overreacting?_  
  
While waiting for the elevator, an idea suddenly came into the Japanese boy's head. “I think it is nearly nine,” he said absent-mindedly, “If I remember correctly, Mr. Owens usually leaves for work around now.”   
  
Ash visibly stiffened at that. “Maybe he left early."   
  
“Maybe.. but I do not think he would.” A self-satisfied smile spread across his face as he watched the blond internally debate with himself.   
  
“Let’s just check,” Ash finally said, his words lacking their usual confident tone.   
  
“Okay,” Eiji responded, crossing his fingers that they would run into Mrs. Owen’s husband.   
  
***   
  
Luckily enough, Eiji spotted Mr. Owens over by his car as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.   
  
Ash swore under his breath. “Maybe if he doesn’t hear us—“   
  
“Hi, Mr. Owens,” the brunet made sure to yell as loud as possible while he waved to their neighbor.   
  
“Oh, hello, boys.” The older man nodded in their direction. “My wife told me that it was your birthday tomorrow, Ash.”  
  
“That’s what they tell me.” Ash gave a forced smile as he pushed the button to call the elevator from behind his back.   
  
“Well I wasn’t exactly sure what to get for you because your tire rims seem to be in good shape and your wipers look brand new...” he continued listing off numerous car parts that Eiji had never heard of before.  
  
“Well, I am sure that I will really appreciate anything you get for me,” the blond interjected just as the elevator signaled its arrival. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Owens,” he added before their neighbor had a chance to respond.   
  
Seconds later, Eiji felt himself being tugged into the elevator and watched as Ash repeatedly pressed the ‘Close’ button.   
  
***   
  
Stretching his arms over his head, the brunet took in a deep breath. Despite it being filled with pollutants, the fresh air felt nice. After adjusting the canvas grocery bag on his shoulder, Eiji pulled out his phone from his sweater pocket and typed in the address.   
  
“It will only take us five minutes to walk there,” he grinned as he turned to show the phone to Ash, but the other boy was too busy looking down every street and alley in sight, looking for any potential sign of danger.  
  
“Eiji,” the blond said suddenly, a serious expression crossing his face.   
  
The Japanese boy froze, nervously awaiting what would be said next. _Ash wouldn’t send him back up to the apartment, right?_  
  
Instead of speaking, Ash walked over to wrap his arm around Eiji's shoulders, pulling him close. “Stay near me, alright? It’s dangerous out here.”   
  
Too flustered to argue back or even respond, the brunet simply nodded.   
  
They walked in comfortable silence, the only noises coming from the occasional car horn or the phone spouting directions. Eiji hummed contently, with Ash close like this, he felt warm despite the chilly morning air. He would be happy if they could walk like for hours, but they were quickly approaching the small supermarket.  
  
Leaning down to get a better look at the screen, then glancing up, Ash motioned towards one of the shops. “Is that it,” he asked.   
  
With its hand-painted sign and ripped flyers taped to the windows, the store seemed to be dwarfed by the giant skyscrapers surrounding it. Yet despite its apparent flaws, it gave off a warmth that the skyscrapers lacked.   
  
"This looks right," Eiji smiled as he pushed the door open. The scents emanating from the cardboard boxes filled to the brim with colorful fruits along with the mountain of fresh fish piled atop beds of ice him made him feel like he was back at the market in Izumo.   
  
"What is that smell," Ash groaned, sliding his arm off the other boy's shoulders to pinch at the bridge of his nose.   
  
The brunet had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Do not be a baby," he said flatly as he picked up a small shopping basket from the pile in the metal rack near the entrance. As he was turning to walk away, the realization hit. They were going to need a lot of items, way more than what would fit in one small basket.   
  
“Are you planning on buying the whole store or something,” Ash teased, a playful smile tugging on his lips as he watched the Japanese boy struggle to hold three shopping baskets at once.   
  
“Not all of it, but I do need to buy lots."   
  
“Then why am I the one who has to carry two baskets?”   
  
Eiji had to resist the urge giggle at the blond's ridiculous attempt at pouting. “Is the big, bad gang leader scared of two shopping baskets,” he whispered, making sure to keep his voice low enough so no one else could overhear.  
  
“More like I’m scared of how much smelly food is going to be sitting in the fridge.”   
  
“It smells good to me.” Eiji stuck out his tongue before turning on his heels to walk over to the fish counter.   
  
***  
  
Just as he had suspected, the larger and fresher fish had already been sold. _He would just have to come up with something else_ , the brunet frowned as he started to browse the remaining seafood.   
  
“They’re all staring at me.” He heard Ash comment from somewhere behind him.   
  
“Who is? The fish?” Eiji asked, glancing back to see the blond staring intently at the array of seafood. He had to stifle a laugh at the sight. “They cannot see you, Ash.”  
  
“I don’t know.. that one is definitely looking directly at me.”   
  
“The mackerel?” the Japanese boy grinned, “maybe he knows it is your birthday!”  
  
“That’s ridiculous, Eiji. Fish only have brains the size of—“  
  
“Excuse me, how many mackerels do you have?” Eiji interrupted as he called to the man working behind the counter.   
  
“Got a shipment in yesterday and still have some left. How many do you need?”   
  
“I need enough fish to feed twenty people.”   
  
“Twenty?” The man raised his brows, “are you having a party or something?”  
  
Without even thinking, Eiji responded, “Yes, it is my fiancé’s birthday tomorrow.” It only took seconds for him to realize what he had just said. His cheeks started to burn in embarrassment. There was no one here who was forcing him to lie to protect their cover story. He would most likely never see these people again, yet he just blurted out to the employee that he was engaged to Ash. _What was wrong with him?_  
  
“Wow, they must really like mackerel,” the man chuckled.   
  
“It’s not my first choice, but you guys seem to be out of shrimp.”   
  
Whipping around, Eiji was shocked to see the blond boy suddenly standing right beside him. His breath hitched as he watched Ash weave his hand through the space in-between the side of his body and his arm, in order to lace their fingers together.   
  
“My apologies, since we are out of prawns let me go find you the freshest mackerel we have,” the man winked.   
  
“Thank you _so_ much,” Ash gave a sickly sweet grin before turning to mouth, _I'm the better fiancé_ , while pointing at himself.   
  
With a long-drawn-out sigh, Eiji shook his head at the other boy. _For someone who thinks they are a leopard, he acts more like a spoiled kitten._  
  
Moments later, the man returned with the wrapped fish. Ash had to slip his hand away to assist with loading the numerous packets into one of his baskets, which happened to almost be filled halfway.   
  
Just as he was about to head towards the produce, Eiji felt someone gently take hold of his hand. “Will it not be difficult to hold two baskets with only one hand, Ash?”  
  
“I think I’ll manage,” the blond said softly as he intertwined their fingers.   
  
“What if someone sees, it could be dangerous—“   
  
“I already did a sweep of the store while you were staring at the fish for twenty minutes straight, just like an old man,” Ash snickered.   
  
“W-Well, finding the best fish is not easy, you know,” the brunet huffed.   
  
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Gramps.”   
  
Right as he was about to respond, Eiji’s words all but died in his mouth when he felt Ash softly squeeze his hand.   
  
He figured that he would let Ash off the hook, just this one time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](http://queensgrove.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/queensgrove96)


	4. Yellow Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it’s right around the anniversary of when I originally posted Of Pancakes and Pumpkins! :> Can you believe that the first work in this series has 600 kudos and over 6 thousand hits?? I cannot express how humbled and grateful I am to all of my lovely readers ♥︎  
> I honestly never thought my stories would ever gain this much popularity in the fandom.. it's crazy! 
> 
> In other news, I am leaving for a ten-day trip to Japan very early this Saturday!! We have tons of stuff planned so the next chapter may take a while to come out, so I apologize in advance 
> 
> Anyways, that aside, I present to you a long chapter as a gift to all my lovely readers :*

“These things are so heavy,” Ash groaned as he lifted the last bag onto the counter. They had just gotten back from the market, which was a pleasant trip up until the walk home. Almost the entire way to the apartment, Eiji had to listen to constant whines and complaints about how heavy the shopping bags were.   
  
“Those must be the plates,” the Japanese boy grinned as he began to unpack the bag. He made sure to buy several different sizes of dinner plates along with some extra soup bowls and chopsticks.   
  
“Don’t we already _have_ plates?"  
  
Walking over to the cabinet, Eiji made a show of pulling on the handle to reveal their small stack of dish-ware, which only took up half of a single shelf. “We have four plates and bowls,” he pointed out. “Do you think that is enough for _fifteen_ people?”  
  
A stretch of poignant silence was enough to show that Ash clearly was not listening, his green eyes glued to his phone as he scrolled through a long article. Eiji let out a drawn-out sigh. He might as well finish unloading the groceries.   
  
The brunet arranged the cartons of natto along with the wrapped fish and the numerous Murasaki sweet potatoes so they would fit neatly with the rest of the ingredients in the fridge. Every so often he would sneak a glance back at the other boy, who still hadn’t looked up from his phone. It wasn’t until he was halfway done with washing the new dishes that a nervous feeling began gnawing in his gut, he looked over at Ash to see that he was _still_ staring at his cell phone.   
  
Opening his mouth to say something, Eiji was interrupted by an obnoxiously loud ringtone.   
  
Ash picked up the phone before the second ring. “Yeah,” he said quietly to whoever was on the other line. One moment the apartment was completely silent, the next Ash was hastily pulling on his jacket. “I’ll be there soon, just hold things down until I get there,” he ordered sternly.  
  
“Ash—“ Eiji called out as the other boy rushed to throw the door open. The blond turned and met his eyes for a moment. His hardened expression quickly turned soft, almost as if he was saying _‘I’ll be fine.’_   
  
Clenching his fists, Eiji stood still, feeling completely powerless as he watched Ash run out the door.   
  
***   
  
Swirling his spoon around the mug, Eiji stared down at the tea he had barely touched. It wasn’t like him to not be in the mood for a cup of tea, but his thoughts were in a million different places at once. He instinctively turned the ring on his finger as he chewed the bottom of his lip, _Ash would come home safe, right?_  
  
Pushing those thoughts away, the brunet stood up and clapped his hands. There was no use in worrying about it now, not when he had so much to get done for the party tomorrow.   
  
He meekly looked at the fridge before pulling open the handle. Stacks of produce, seafood, nato, and tofu lined the expansive shelves. It was intimidating, the thought of having to prepare this whole meal, but Eiji wanted to share a bit of his culture with Ash and their neighbors.   
  
As he was pulling out the produce, which was mainly sweet potatoes, leafy greens, radishes, scallions, and a few different mushrooms, Eiji realized that he may also have to prepare dashi for the miso soup in advance. He began with tossing the kombu in water and moved on to washing then chopping the vegetables. Glancing at the sweet potatoes, a sudden realization dawned on him.   
  
_These sweet potatoes should be used for dessert since Mrs. Coleman likes them sweet._ Eiji shuddered at the thought of the horrible orange monstrosity that their neighbor had prepared a few months ago. He will show them how much better Japanese sweet potatoes can taste.  
  
***   
  
Wiping his brow, the brunet started to load the prepped elements back into the fridge. Right as he was about to put in the last of the radishes, Eiji caught sight of it. The big jar of mustard sitting on the shelf. He had forgotten entirely about Ash’s stupid cake request.   
  
With a groan, Eiji snatched the yellow jar and plopped down at the table. He had no clue how to make a mustard cake. Sipping his cup of tea, which had now gone cold, he wracked his brain for ideas. Glancing around the room, his eyes ended up landing on the tablet sitting on the counter next to the vase of red carnations.   
  
“Someone on the internet will know,” he mumbled to himself as he booted up the device. For a moment nothing happened, then the screen lit up momentarily with a red battery icon before switching back off.   
  
It seemed like Ash forgot to charge the tablet, _again_. The Japanese boy had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he walked over to grab the charger.   
  
Drumming his fingers impatiently against the counter, Eiji stared out the window. He probably should be at his camera watching Goldzine’s building rather than worrying over some dumb cake. Sparing a quick glance down to the tablet, the brunet froze when he saw the article on the screen.   
  
_Multiple fatalities at shipping docks linked to gang activity._  
  
Right underneath the title was a picture of the numerous corpses strewn across the docks. Eiji instinctively brought a hand up to cover his mouth. The silence in the room was quickly taken over by the harsh ringing in his ears.   
  
After a few shaky breaths, he continued reading the article, which was proving to be quite tricky. A majority of the words were long and too complicated for him to understand.   
  
_Please let Ash be okay._ Eiji thought desperately, knawing at his lip as he minimized the page.   
  
***   
  
The brunet sat and stared at the fifth recipe he had brought up. He was having trouble concentrating, it was if the words were starting to jumble together. No matter how many times he reread a sentence, nothing seemed to stick. His thoughts kept going back to Ash, despite how hard he tried to push them away.   
  
With a huff, Eiji switched off the tablet and pushed himself to his feet. At this point, he was no better off than when he started. His last hope would be if he were to run into one of the housewives in the store downstairs and ask them for advice.   
  
He crossed his fingers as he pulled out the grocery bag. Their neighbors always seemed to be down at the store gossiping amongst themselves, so there was a decent chance of running into them.   
  
Or not.  
  
Eiji stared incredulously around the empty store. He made sure to walk around the aisles twice, to check if anyone was there. However, the only other person in the shop was that annoying teenage cashier, who was absentmindedly scrolling through her phone.  
  
“Hey pumpkin fetish guy, if you are looking for pumpkins we don’t have any in yet,” she called out.  
  
“I tell you every time.. do not call me that,” Eiji said through gritted teeth. He took a breath to compose himself. “Have you seen any of the housewives today?”  
  
“I guess there were some here earlier, it’s been pretty slow today."  
  
“Oh, okay.”   
  
“Hey,” the girl’s tone turned serious as she put down her phone. “Can I ask you something?”  
  
His grip on the strap of the grocery bag tightened. This girl didn’t find out their secret right?  
  
“I heard that the guy you live with is, like super hot. Do you have a picture of him or something?”  
  
Eiji let out a sigh of relief. He _did_ , in fact, have multiple photographs of Ash on his camera, although they were mostly candid shots since the blond didn’t like his picture being taken. However, despite Ash never showing his face, he always added something special to any image he was in.  
  
“Are you two, like boning or something?”  
  
“Are we what,” the Japanese boy responded nervously. He had yet to come across that word, but the look in the girl’s eyes gave him some clue as to what it meant.   
  
“Ya know,” she said matter-of-factly as she made a lewd gesture with her hands.   
  
“W-What no!” Eiji yelped as he felt his face warm.   
  
“But you want to, right?”   
  
“Stop that!” he cried, earning him some looks from several customers walking in the store. “I-I am done talking with you!”  
  
“Okay, but you will have to talk to me again when you want to pay,” she responded sarcastically.  
  
Not bothering to say anything back, Eiji turned on his heel and headed towards the aisles.   
  
***  
  
The brunet stormed into the baking section of the store. If their neighbors weren’t going to come to his rescue, he would have to figure this cake out himself.   
  
As he scanned the shelves, his eyes landed on some pre-packaged mixes. He couldn’t possibly mess up something that was already put together. There were lots of flavors to choose from, but one box, in particular, caught his attention the most.   
  
Picking it up and turning it in his hands, Eiji stared down at the packaging. He had never heard of a ‘yellow cake’ before. The box offered no explanation as to what made it yellow, or if an additional ingredient was required to make it that color.   
  
What he did know was that mustard was also yellow.. so he might be able to make it work. Not to mention that the box said ‘great taste guaranteed’ in big letters. Eiji wasn’t quite sure who this 'Betty Crocker’ person is that was guaranteeing his cake would taste good, but it gave him some peace of mind as he tossed the product into his basket.  
  
***   
  
The rest of the day was spent trying to keep as busy as possible. However, there were only so many counters to clean and flower vases to refill. As he plucked the wilted leaves from the carnations, his thoughts went back to the comment Mrs. Owens made the other day.   
  
_Do all these flowers really have different meanings_ , the brunet thought as he turned the flower stem between two fingers. There must have been over thirteen vases placed around the apartment, each filled with different variants.   
  
Before he could think about it too much longer, he was interrupted by his growling stomach. Eiji bit his lip as he looked up at the clock. He would usually put off eating as long as possible, just in case Ash decided to return. The blond wasn’t exactly quiet when he comes back hungry, typically banging around in the kitchen without any regard to the person _trying to sleep_ in the other room.   
  
However, it was getting late, and Ash was usually back by now, or Eiji would at least receive some type of reassuring text from Bones or Kong. The gnawing feeling in his gut was slowly starting to return as he turned on the kettle. He would have to eat cup noodles, even though he really wanted some natto since all of the food in the fridge was for the party tomorrow.  
  
He poured the boiling water into the plastic cup and swirled the contents around with chopsticks. Usually, he would eat at the table, but this time he opted for the couch. Eiji grabbed the remote and flipped through the television channels, careful not to stay on any news networks. Before long he was engrossed in some cheesy movie about a girl from a small town who moved to the city and met the man of her dreams at a rundown bar.  
  
The brunet twisted the white-gold band on his finger as he watched the credits, his thoughts turning to Ash for the umpteenth time that evening. Maybe he would be better off just going to sleep.  
  
***   
  
The alarm clock, with its blinking blue numbers was the only light in their room. It illuminated a small portion of the bedside table, making Ash’s glasses slightly visible in the darkness. They were carelessly thrown on the table upside down, with both temples stuck out at awkward angles. Eiji found himself staring at them with tired eyes. He knew it was late, very late; however, he couldn’t fall asleep.  
  
Pushing the covers aside, he stood up and went to the kitchen for some water. While grabbing a glass from the cabinet, he noticed the box of cake mix sitting on the counter. Making it now would be one less thing to do tomorrow, and it may take his mind off certain things.   
  
Eiji flipped on the light switch and dumped the powder from the box, which was apparently the cake mix, into a bowl. Next, he added a cup of water, oil, and eggs and mixed them together. He had never made a cake like this before or even seen anyone else bake one. His family typically made them from scratch or bought them from a store.   
  
He spent quite a while whisking the mixture and breaking up clumps of the powder. But, despite it being quite lumpy and thick, it resembled a cake batter, which was better than most of his other baking attempts.   
  
“Not as yellow like the picture,” the brunet mumbled to himself as he frowned at the box. Maybe it was a good thing he was adding the mustard, after all?   
  
Before he could overthink it, Eiji squeezed a sizable amount of mustard into the batter. The mustard did make it a stronger color, but it looked more brown than yellow. He shrugged and slid the round pan into the oven.   
  
***   
  
Staring down at his creation, the Japanese boy was proud of himself. For once, he didn’t cause a fire, shatter glass, or destroy the kitchen. The cake, which resembled more of a pancake, decided to shrink in the pan instead of rising. It was a strange color and only a couple centimeters thick, but with the icing on he was sure it would be fine.   
  
Once he finished washing the dishes and reorganizing the fridge so the cake could fit in, Eiji let out a huge yawn. Perhaps he could finally get some rest. As he got comfortable in his bed, he heard keys in the front door.   
  
“Eiji? What the hell is that smell?"  
  
It felt like a huge weight was lifted off his chest at the sound of the other boy’s voice. A small smile crossed his face as his body finally allowed him to fall asleep.   
  
***  
  
"Ash, wake _up_ ," Eiji said through gritted teeth. He glared at the tuft of blond hair sticking out of the mess of blankets. "You say at the store yesterday that you would help me prepare the food!"   
  
A grumbling noise, which was mostly muffled by the covers, was the only response.   
  
The brunet could feel himself becoming more annoyed each second that passed where the other boy didn't even stir. "It is already past eight," he fumed, yanking at the blankets with all his strength.   
  
_Ash gro_ aned as he felt the light hit his face. He opened one eye to see Eiji's round cheeks and big brown eyes glaring down at him. "Five more minutes," he sighed.   
  
"No!"   
  
"C'mon, older and wiser, did you forget it's my birthday," Ash teased, a mischievous smile slowly spreading across his face.   
  
"It is not really your birthday!"   
  
"Oh?" The blond chuckled as he rolled onto his side, so he could look right up into Eiji's eyes. "Just like how you aren't really my fiancé?"   
  
Mouth agape, Eiji felt his face heating up. He was not expecting that response, and why was Ash looking at him like that?   
  
“C’mere,” Ash mumbled as he grabbed onto the other boy's arm, tugging him down onto the mattress.   
  
“A-Ash,” Eiji protested weakly as the blond wrapped an arm around his side, pulling him closer, so their chests were nearly touching. “I can’t, Ash, I have a lot to do—” The rest of the words died in his mouth as he felt a few pokes by his ribs, causing him to let out a high-pitched giggle.   
  
“No apron, today?” Ash chided. “And no breakfast either.. this isn’t quite what I expected.”  
  
That earned him a smack on the arm.   
  
“Fine, fine, I guess this will have to do,” the blond mumbled as he tucked his head under Eiji’s chin. Moments later, Ash’s breathing evened out, signaling he had fallen back asleep.   
  
Eiji let out a sigh. _He really had to start preparing food for the party_ , he thought as he glanced down fondly at the boy slumbering in his arms. _But it couldn’t hurt to stay like this just a little while longer._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the big one, basically the first of the “two-part finale” of the series if you will.. so stay tuned! ;)
> 
> [Tumblr](http://queensgrove.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/queensgrove96)


	5. My Sweet Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! ヾ(°∇°*) I am back from Japan and miss it already!! I couldn't find much banana fish merch, however, I bought LOADS of doujinshi. Some of them are heartfelt and beautiful, while others are super OOC and one even has Eiji twerking in it. However, one my favorites is actually by an artist whose [beautiful piece](https://twitter.com/sour_nya/status/1117376139305963521?s=20) inspired a scene from this chapter! 
> 
> I worked my butt off to get this chapter out to you guys, and it's definitely the longest one I have ever written. A few warnings for some intense swearing and some indirect mentions of homophobia, which are both towards the end of the chapter. :) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I've worked very hard on this one! ♡

Sunlight streamed through the thin gap between the window and the curtains, causing Eiji to instinctively wrinkle his nose as the warmth hit his face. He gingerly opened one eye to discover the other half of the bed was empty. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, the brunet blinked slowly as he glanced around the room.  
  
“Ash?” his voice echoed as he called out into the empty apartment.   
  
With a frown, Eiji turned to look at the bedside table, his eyes widening when he noticed the time on the alarm clock. It was nearly noon, meaning he was asleep for over three hours.   
  
Throwing off the covers in a frenzy, the Japanese boy rushed into the kitchen. He quickly tied on the orange apron as he began pulling food out of the fridge. There was no way he would have time to get everything prepared in time for the party tonight. Not to mention the fact that he looked like a mess with his tousled hair and wrinkled clothes.  
  
Initially, he had left some time for getting ready, so for once, he wouldn’t be underdressed. He even took time to iron his nicest shirt and slacks.   
  
_That Ash!_ Eiji fumed as he slammed the knife down, severing the head of the mackerel. _If only he had a little more self resolve._  
  
The more the brunet rushed around the kitchen, the angrier he became. _Ash promised to help, and now he is gone? These are his neighbors too!_ Eiji could hear himself grumbling under his breath as he began hastily wrapping the sweet potatoes in foil.  
  
Once the soup base was on the stove, and the potatoes were in the oven, he had a few minutes to spare before the fish needed to be seared. It was a tough decision to make between preparing some tea or taming his unruly hair, but he decided to choose the latter.   
  
Every other second, Eiji alternated between running a comb through his hair and peeking out from the bathroom to make sure the soup wasn’t spilling over, or the oven hadn’t set on fire. Things were going surprisingly well. _Maybe the gods finally took pity on him after all his failed baking attempts?_ The Japanese boy shrugged as he began retying the orange apron.  
  
***   
  
Luckily enough, the dashi for the miso soup took some time to come to a boil, leaving Eiji a few minutes to change into fresh clothes and prepare some tea. His nerves had seemed to calm slightly, in fact, he even started to feel confident as he stirred the tofu into the broth. He didn’t need Ash’s help, after all.   
  
Just as he was about to take a taste of the mixture from the ladle, he stopped as he heard a few loud noises from outside. The brunet shrieked as the front door was suddenly thrown open and slammed against the wall, causing him to instinctively throw the spoon across the room.   
  
A parade of people, who Eiji recognized as members of Ash’s gang, streamed through the entrance. They were all struggling to carry a massive dining table into the apartment, while their boss barked orders from the hallway.   
  
“Hiya, Eiji,” Bones grinned once he was able to get in the door, he was covered in sweat and still somehow managed to look cheerful.  
  
Eiji stood dumbfoundedly, too stunned to say anything in response. He could only stare open-mouthed at the group of men grunting and groaning as they tried to fit a giant table through a tiny doorway.   
  
“Don’t talk to him, you have a job to do.” He heard Ash snap from the hall.  
  
“I don’ think this is gonna fit in here, boss, the other table is in the way” Kong panted.  
  
“Did you idiots think of moving the other table? See, this is why you should have let me in first!”   
  
It was truly a spectacle to behold, a bunch of tough-looking gang members crawling over a table, which was now stuck in the entryway, to rearrange the existing furniture.   
  
“Boss, there’s a ton of glass vases in here,” Alex whined as he pushed their old dining table against the wall.  
  
“Don’t you dumbasses _think_ of breaking any of those,” the blond growled as he finally made his way into the apartment.   
  
“Ash..” Eiji said weakly, it was all he _could_ bring himself to say.  
  
“Get rid of one of those couches if it won’t fit.”   
  
Several men immediately moved to pick up one of the couches while a few more of the gang members scrambled to push the other one out of the way. With every other person shouting and the sounds of furniture scraping the floor, it wouldn’t be surprising if their neighbors came to see what was going on. And then what would he do when they saw an entire street gang redecorating their apartment.   
  
_How did they manage to get that massive table into the elevator in the first place?_  
  
“Ash,” he managed to repeat more forcefully, yet no one paid him any attention.  
  
“Boss, where do you want this old table?”   
  
“Bring it back downstairs. I’m sure someone will take it.”   
  
“Down the stairs?” Eiji gasped, “you made them bring this table up all those stairs?”   
  
“Yeah, how else was I supposed to get it here,” Ash shrugged.   
  
“How could you, Ash! That is cruel to make them carry something like that up ten flights of stairs!”   
  
“That reminds me, who is going to get all the chairs?”   
  
Clearly, he was back to being ignored, the brunet huffed as he glanced around the apartment. These poor men seemed to already look exhausted, and nothing he could say would change the situation.   
  
_The least he could do was make them some tea_ , he figured as he began counting the number of gang members. It was a good thing they had just bought more cups, he would definitely need them.   
  
***   
  
“Ah, Eiji, you're so nice,” Bones gushed as he took a sip from his cup.   
  
“ _Too_ nice, sometimes,” Ash commented dryly as he leaned back in one of the new chairs.  
  
“It is better than being _mean_.” the Japanese boy stuck out his tongue at the blond, who rolled his green eyes in response.  
  
It had taken some time, but their furniture was finally rearranged to fit the massive dining table. A majority of the gang members were still breathing heavily as they sprawled out on the floor while a few others passed out on the couch. Eiji ended up making three pots of tea just to have enough for everyone.   
  
“These little soft squishy-things are good,” Kong spoke up as he shoved a piece of mochi into his mouth.   
  
“They are called mochi, and they are very popular in Japan,” he grinned, “I am glad you like them!”   
  
He originally planned to save the assortment of mochi for the party tonight; however, he decided to put it on a plate for the gang members to have with their tea. _Someone_ had to thank them for their hard work.  
  
“Ya know, boss, I’m not one to ask questions,” Alex paused as he glanced nervously over at Ash. “But what’s with all this food you’re cookin' and that table we had to haul up here?”   
  
The blond was quiet for a moment, then let out a long-winded sigh. “It’s—“   
  
“It is for Ash’s birthday dinner,” Eiji interrupted.  
  
“Woah, it's your birthday, boss?” Bones jumped up, almost knocking over his cup. Other gang members began speaking excitedly amongst themselves.  
  
“It’s not, you halfwits!”   
  
The sound of their boss’s raised voice made all the men suddenly become quiet.   
  
“What are you all sitting around here for anyways, I thought I made your assignments clear.” Ash glared at his men.   
  
At that, everyone began scrambling from their relaxed positions. Many ran out of the apartment as quickly as their legs would take them. Bones and Kong made sure to put their cups in the sink before following suit. Alex was the last to leave, he exchanged a few quiet words with Ash before walking out and softly closing the door behind him.   
  
Once everyone had left, Eiji began picking up the mugs and washing them. Not too long after, Ash joined him at the sink. “If you didn’t make them drinks, then you wouldn’t have to wash all this by yourself,” he said softly as he poured some soap on a sponge.  
  
“I wanted to,” the brunet responded matter-of-factly. He finished wiping the cup in his hand with a towel, making sure to put it in the drying rack before continuing, “And now you are helping me, so I am not by myself.”  
  
Ash had to stifle a laugh. “I don’t know anyone else in this city that would make tea for a bunch of thugs.”  
  
“But they helped us. It is a small way I can say thank you.”  
  
A stretch of silence took hold of the room. The only sounds came from the running faucet along with their sponges scrubbing against the ceramic mugs. Eiji glanced over at Ash, who was still wearing the same clothes from the morning. A small smile was tugging on his lips as he ran a cup under the stream of water; there was a softness visible in his gaze that wasn’t there moments ago. The brunet quickly turned his attention to the mug he was washing, in an attempt to ignore the way that his heart was pounding in his chest.  
  
***   
  
The next thing he had to do was start frying the fish. Eiji grabbed a pan and began searing some of the filets he had cut earlier. It was going to take a while, the small pan could only fit about three without overcrowding it, and he didn’t want to chance burning the main part of the meal.   
  
His intense focus, coupled with the noise of the fish filets searing in the hot oil, caused him not to hear the first knock on the door. The second knock was more intense, and the third was essentially the person banging on the door, making Eiji flinch at the sound. He despairingly looked over at the clock, he swore he had another hour _at least_ before guests starting arriving.   
  
“I got it,” Ash called as he emerged from the bathroom, where he had been getting ready for the past half an hour. At least the blond didn’t look too over the top. This time he just wore a different shirt under an open button-down along with some dark jeans. He tossed the towel he had around his neck back into their room before opening the front door.   
  
“My dear son!” Max exclaimed as he barreled through the doorway.   
  
“No one is here yet, so you can cut the crap,” Ash responded dryly.   
  
“Aw, don’t be cold like that, just look at all the stuff I brought for you,” the older man grinned as he set down some of the things he was carrying onto the table. Eiji turned down the burner before heading over to say hello.   
  
“Eiji, there you are, where do you want the balloons?”   
  
“Wow, those are big balloons,” he gasped at the cluster of balloons. There was a string of letters that spelled out ‘Happy Birthday,’ two large number one and nine balloons, along with multiple stars and confetti-filled balloons.   
  
“I’ll just put them over here.” The older man set the number and star-shape balloons next to the head of the table. He then pinned the string of letters to the wall by the door before dropping an elaborate piece of plastic into the brunet’s hands. “That is for the top of the cake.”   
  
“My sweet.. nineteen,” he read the writing aloud. “What makes it sweet?”   
  
“No clue!”   
  
“Max,” Ash groaned.   
  
“Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the birthday boy,” Max laughed as he picked up a sash from the table, which said ‘it’s my nineteenth birthday’ in big, black letters, and draped it around Ash’s neck.   
  
“Why is all of this crap pink?”   
  
“Dunno, the lady on the phone said it was gold.”   
  
“Was she blind or something?”   
  
Eiji had to hold a hand over his mouth to stop himself from giggling. It was always amusing when Ash bristled like an angry cat, even when he was wearing something so ridiculous.   
  
The blond grumbled as tore the sash off and threw it on the table. "Wait, are _you_ blind?” He turned to look Max up and down, "Why the hell are you wearing that god-awful suit?”   
  
“What did you say?” The older man narrowed his eyes. “This is my best suit.”   
  
“No one said you had to wear a suit, especially one with pinstripes that looks like it's from a century ago.” A teasing grin slowly spread across the blond’s face.   
  
“My dear son could always buy me a new one with his dirty money.”   
  
“I thought it was my birthday, shouldn’t I be the one getting gifts?”   
  
“Yeah, yeah, and your gift is my presence,” Max sighed as he slumped on the couch and put his feet on the coffee table.  
  
“Well, you won’t be here for much longer once Eiji finds out that you left your shoes on, _and_ you put them on the table,” Ash smirked.   
  
“Crap!” He swore, scrambling to pull his shoes off. “It won’t happen again, promise!”   
  
“It better not.” The Japanese boy glared from the kitchen.  
  
***   
  
The first of their neighbors to arrive was Mr. and Mrs. Coleman.   
  
“Happy birthday, Ash!” Mrs. Coleman smiled, reaching out to hug the blond as soon as he answered the door.  
  
Ash immediately tensed at the contact, but still responded politely, “Thanks.. Mrs. Coleman."  
  
“Oh my goodness, it’s like a little garden in here,” she cooed as she strolled into the apartment. “I had heard you were giving your fiancé flower bouquets, but I never imagined there would be this many!”   
  
“Hi, Mrs. Coleman,” Eiji peeked out from the kitchen.  
  
“Eiji! My goodness is that Denise’s apron?”   
  
“Oh, yes, she is letting me use it,” The brunet responded, timidly scratching the back of his neck.   
  
“Don’t tell her I said this, but it looks much cuter on you,” she winked. “Oh, I also brought refreshments. Hopefully, there is enough for everyone.”   
  
Mr. Coleman cleared his throat as he held up three cloth bags, each with compartments holding four bottles of wine. “I’ll just put these on the table.”  
  
“Finally, something to drink around here,” Max sprung up from the couch.  
  
“You must be Edward.” Mr. Coleman nodded. “I have heard a lot about you from my wife.”  
  
“Have you now?” Max asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.   
  
“Nothing like that, Edward,” Mrs. Coleman laughed as she began opening bottles of wine.   
  
The three of them began speaking amongst themselves. Eiji could only hear bits and pieces of their conversation over the sizzling pans and boiling pots. Still, he prayed that Max wasn’t saying anything too stupid.   
  
Right as he started to ladle some of the miso soup into bowls, the doorbell rang.   
  
“Got it,” Ash called out.  
  
The brunet turned and saw Mrs. Owens speaking with Ash. Unfortunately, she had brought her husband along. It was the second time Eiji had seen him outside of the parking garage. He brushed his hands off on his apron before heading over to greet them.   
  
“Hi there, Eiji,” Mrs. Owens said cheerfully. As she was pulling him in for a hug, she whispered so only the two of them could hear, “I hope the lucky apron works for you."   
  
“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Owens,” he gave an appreciative smile.  
  
“And here is your gift, Ash."   
  
“I put mine over on the hall table, Leslie,” Mrs. Coleman called from the couch.   
  
“No, I want him to open it now.”   
  
“Alright,” the blond responded cooly. With delicate hands, Ash pulled back the wrapping paper, revealing a thick, hardback book. “A Japanese cookbook?” He asked, "Shouldn’t this be a gift for Eiji?”   
  
“No, it's very much a gift for you.” Mrs. Owens nodded. “I always see your poor fiancé running around the supermarket, fretting over what to cook for you to make you happy.”   
  
Eiji could feel the warmth creeping across his face at her words. He started to fiddle with his hands behind his back, trying to avoid all the eyes that were suddenly on him.   
  
“So, I figured you can return the favor one time.”   
  
Ash let out a breathless laugh as he fondly stared down at the book. “Okay,” he said softly, turning to he was face-to-face with Eiji. “I will make you anything that you want from this book.”   
  
“Anything?”  
  
“Yeah.” The blond nodded and handed the book over.  
  
_This was his chance; finally, he would be able to watch Ash struggle in the kitchen._ The Japanese boy hummed as he skimmed through the pages. “How about Dorayaki?”   
  
“Dora—what?”   
  
“Dorayaki,” Eiji laughed and turned the book around, pointing to the dessert on the page.   
  
“What is it?”   
  
“It’s a sweet dessert with red bean paste in the middle!”   
  
“Beans?” Ash pretended to gag.   
  
“You said you would make anything I say,” the brunet huffed.   
  
With an overly dramatic sigh, Ash tugged the book out of his hands. “Fine, I’ll make you that dora-whatever.”   
  
“Dora- _yaki_.”  
  
Mrs. Owens was covering her mouth, trying not to giggle as she watched them bicker back and forth.   
  
***   
  
As Eiji poured the remaining soup into bowls, he watched other guests pile through their front door. Some of them he had never even seen before, yet they all seemed to know Ash. Everyone was being overly friendly in their birthday wishes and zealously handing over gifts. The present pile was getting so large, that the brunet had to run from the stove to rearrange the stack before it had a chance to collapse.   
  
No one was bothering to take their shoes off, which resulted in muddy tracks all over the apartment. Some of their neighbors were also tossing their jackets and purses onto the couch, which left barely any room to sit. When he brought out the fish platter and salad bowl to set on the table, none of their new guests bothered to acknowledge him.   
  
He spared a glance over at Max and Ash, who sat at both heads of the table. The two of them were surrounded by giggling housewives.  
  
_“Oh, Ash, you are looking more and more handsome by the day.”_  
  
_“You are going to love my gift the most.”_  
  
_“When will you let me introduce you to my daughter? She would adore you."_  
  
Eiji grimaced as he overheard the ladies coo in their overly sweet voices. As he made his way back to the kitchen, he had to push through a group of men who refused to move, no matter how many times he excused himself. Getting the bowls of soup to the table was another challenge. Guests kept knocking into him as he tried to pass by, resulting in the miso either spilling on his clothes or onto the floor.   
  
By the time he made it over to serving the far end of the table, his mood had soured considerably. He stared at the circle of housewives who had encircled Ash, blocking any access to even come close to the head of the table. The women laughed obnoxiously as they lounged in the dining chairs, almost every one of them drinking from a glass of wine as they showered the blond with compliments.  
  
“Dear lord Barbara, what are you doing?” Mrs. Coleman frowned as she walked over. “That is Eiji’s seat. He _lives here_ , you know.”   
  
The woman sitting beside Ash turned to acknowledge them. “Who?” Her icy blue eyes inspected the Japanese boy with a seemingly unimpressed look. “Oh,” she commented flatly before reluctantly standing up.   
  
Eiji felt a tinge of guilt as he sat down. Mrs. Coleman and her husband took the seats beside him.   
  
“Here, Ash,” he said as he handed over one of the bowls. It was the first time he had a chance to speak to Ash since all of the guests had arrived.   
  
“Thanks,” the blond gave him a small smile, their fingers brushing as he took the soup.  
  
“So, anyways, Ash,” one of the wives cleared her throat, “when Nora gets back you must take her out—”  
  
“Giselle did all that botox mess up your memory,” Mrs. Owens interrupted from a few seats over. “How many times do I have to tell you that Ash is engaged to Eiji?”   
  
“Is he?”   
  
“I think that ring on his finger is enough proof, don’t you think,” Mrs. Coleman laughed as she took a long sip from her glass of wine.   
  
The brunet self-consciously stared down at the white-gold band, which seemed to feel three times heavier than usual. The meal hadn’t even started yet, and he already wished it was over.   
  
“Not like that has stopped anyone before—”   
  
“Stop spouting nonsense and eat your soup.” Mrs. Owens rolled her eyes.  
  
“What is this, anyway?” A woman from the other side of the table called out as she prodded a bit of tofu with her spoon.  
  
“It’s miso soup, we eat it all the time in Japan,” Eiji answered.  
  
“ _Oh_ , so that’s where you’re from.”   
  
The way the woman spoke made a sudden sense of shame wash over him. It made him feel like he didn’t belong. _Maybe he really didn’t belong here._ He glanced around the table at the looks of confusion and disgust over the food he made.   
  
“I was the one who asked Eiji to make this,” Ash announced, giving a challenging look to their neighbors around the table. “No one has to eat it if they don’t want to.”   
  
“I think it’s great,” Max added. “Lots of flavor you don’t usually get in the restaurant stuff.”   
  
At their words, all of the guests slowly began to eat the meal. Some seemed more impressed than others. A few neighbors were already grabbing fish and salad while others were still poking at the soup.   
  
Thankfully, the timer in the kitchen started chiming, allowing him to escape for a moment.   
  
“Sweet potatoes,” Mrs. Coleman squealed in delight as Eiji returned with the platter. “You should have told me, dear, I would have brought along some marshmallows.”   
  
The brunet shuttered at the thought of her orange monstrosity as he set the dish down in the center of the table, but somehow kept a polite smile on his face.   
  
“Yeah, Eiji, why didn’t you ask her to bring them,” Ash snickered.  
  
Eiji narrowed his eyes at the other boy. _He wouldn’t be laughing for much longer_ , he thought to himself as he went back into the kitchen and came back with a big bowl of natto. “For the birthday boy,” he said triumphantly as he slammed the dish in front of the blond.  
  
It was the best part of the evening watching Ash give him a look of utter betrayal before he began to choke down the fermented soybeans.   
  
***  
  
Many of the guests had apparently finished eating, he assumed, since they left their empty plates on the table while they mingled around the apartment. As he brought some of the dishes over to the sink, Eiji noticed one of their neighbors snooping through their cabinets. “Excuse me,” he said loudly, causing the woman to jump in surprise.  
  
“O-Oh, I was just searching for the, um, dessert plates,” she replied hastily, clearly making up her response as she went.   
  
He looked at her for a moment then glanced at the cabinets. _Ash better not have put anything in there he didn’t know about. He knew that he was too short to reach the top shelf._  
  
“Ah, do you not understand what I’m saying,” the woman said slowly, there was a condescending tone in her voice, almost as if she was speaking to a child. “De-ssert plate—“   
  
“I understand. We do not have that,” the brunet frowned.  
  
“Ah, you speak more English than I thought. Well, doesn’t hurt to check,” she laughed awkwardly before scurrying off into the other room.  
  
Eiji made sure to shut the cabinet before turning to walk over to the dining table. In the short time that he was in the kitchen, two women had already blocked the way back into the other room.  
  
“Listen, Julie, it is not possible that a boy that handsome would be _that way_.”   
  
“Tell me about it, especially not for that Asian kid, there is nothing special about him.”   
  
The brunet ducked his head as he pushed past them, a familiar feeling of white-hot shame building in his stomach. He was almost back to the table when a crashing noise stopped him in his tracks. Whipping around, he saw one of the bigger flower vases shattered on the floor. Two drunk men were stumbling around, stepping all over the flowers as they uttered nonsensical words.   
  
“What the hell just happened?” Ash jumped from his seat.  
  
Eiji felt frozen in place as he stared in horror, hands coming up to cover his mouth as he tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall. The daisies from a few days ago were being crushed under these men’s boots, and they didn’t even seem to care.   
  
“Calm down, kid, I’ll buy ya a new one,” one of the men spluttered as he braced himself against the wall.   
  
“N-No..” The brunet felt his body start to shake before he desperately rushed into the quiet bedroom.   
  
***   
  
Throwing his apron on the floor, Eiji curled up on the bed, bringing his knees to his chest. _What was wrong with Americans?_ He aggressively rubbed at his burning eyes.   
  
A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.  
  
“Eiji, can I come in?” Ash called.  
  
Not trusting his own voice, Eiji stayed quiet and hoped that the other boy would leave. However, Ash didn’t seem to get the message and decided to come into the room.   
  
He turned away, feeling the mattress dip as the blond sat down beside him. “I’ll buy you more flowers if that will help,” Ash said quietly.  
  
“That is not it,” Eiji choked back a sob, covering his mouth as he squeezed his eyes shut. Immediately, he felt a gentle hand brush a few strands of hair behind his ear.   
  
“Please, don’t cry.”   
  
Opening his eyes, he gasped at how close Ash’s face was. The blond gazed at him tenderly as wiped some of his tears away with his thumb. “I’ll beat Max up for even suggesting this.”   
  
“It is not Max’s fault.”   
  
“Hm, then I’ll beat all the neighbors up?”   
  
“You will go back to jail.”   
  
“I’ll beat up all the guards so I can break out.”   
  
Eiji couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You can not beat _everyone_ up.”   
  
“I’d do it for you,” Ash gave him a small smile before gently kissing his tear-stained cheek.   
  
“Ash, where’s an extra bottle opener? Someone dropped the other one down the sink,” Max yelled from the table.   
  
“Wow,” the Japanese boy said incredulously. He could barely get bubbles down their sink, let alone an entire metal bottle opener.  
  
“See, Eiji, these people are stupid. Don’t get upset over them, they don’t deserve it.”   
  
“Yeah, you are right, for once.”   
  
“Excuse you.” Ash poked his side, causing Eiji to erupt into a fit of giggles. “It’s my birthday, I’m supposed to _always_ be right.”   
  
“But it is not actually your birthday!”   
  
“If I remember correctly, _you_ are the one who told everyone it's my birthday."   
  
“It was Max that told them!” The brunet huffed. "Not me.”   
  
“Maybe your memory is getting worse, it is pretty common amongst you old people.”   
  
“Go away,” Eiji playfully shoved the other boy. “You are the old one.. since you say it is your birthday!”   
  
“Okay, okay I’m going,” Ash laughed as he jumped off the bed.  
  
***  
  
"I can’t believe that we have been sitting here for hours, and I haven’t told you all a single story,” Max bellowed from the head of the table.   
  
“I do love a good story,” Mrs. Coleman said happily. All the other guests spoke excitedly amongst each other before turning to look at Max expectantly.   
  
“Great! Well, lemme tell you that our Ash wasn’t always the smooth pretty-boy he is today.”   
  
A chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘do tells' rang out from the housewives.   
  
“One time, Ash got hit in the face with a baseball, knocking all his front baby teeth out so he couldn’t speak properly for weeks!”   
  
“Or the first time he saw a horror movie, he was so scared that he wet the bed for three days afterward.”   
  
Eiji looked between Max and Ash in disbelief, waiting for the blond to start cursing or yelling at the older man for making up stories. However, Ash kept very quiet, his face becoming redder and redder by the second.   
  
“Don’t get me started on all the times he would fall over trying to swing a baseball bat,” Max laughed.   
  
“How do you..” Ash mumbled.   
  
“He would always cry whenever he got salt in his eyes from the ocean.”   
  
“Griff,” the blond said breathlessly as he sunk back into his chair.  
  
_Griff? Ash’s brother Griffin?_  
  
“Can I have a word with you in the other room, _dad._ ” Ash’s disbelief was quickly turning into anger as he glared across the table.  
  
“Sure thing ma’ boy,” the older man slurred. He set down his fourth already half-empty wine glass and gripped the edge of the table to prop himself to his feet.  
  
The chatter amongst the table continued uninterrupted as Max stumbled his way into the office, and no one even glanced over when Ash slammed the door shut.  
  
Five minutes passed, then ten, and the worried feeling swirling in Eiji’s gut continued to grow worse by the second.  
  
“Um, I will go check on them,” he hastily announced.  
  
“Do hurry back, dear, we still have to open the gifts,” Mrs. Coleman smiled at him, then turned back to her conversation with several of the housewives.   
  
Eiji excused himself and walked over to the office door, which was left open just a sliver for him to peek into the room. It seemed Ash was in the middle of an argument with Max, who was slumped on the couch with a self-satisfied look on his face.   
  
“What the hell is your problem, old man? How can speak about the things Griffin told you so lightly as if nothing ever happened to him?”   
  
“Lighten up, kid—“   
  
“Lighten up?” Ash scoffed, “It’s no wonder Jessica left your sorry ass.”  
  
“Watch it,” Max’s cautioned as he narrowed his eyes.   
  
“Look at you now, a broke ex-con reporter running from his responsibilities. Michael doesn’t deserve a shitty father like you.”  
  
The Japanese boy covered the gasp threatening to leave his mouth as Max jumped off the couch and threw an uncoordinated punch at the blond, who easily outmaneuvered him.   
  
“C’mon, lighten up, _dad_.”  
  
Max straightened up and squared his shoulders, anger blazing in his eyes. “I’m not your dad, you lying, manipulative devil, and I would hate myself if I had a fucked-up piece of shit son like you.”   
  
Ash's smug expression instantaneously crumbled into a mixture of anger, sadness, and betrayal. Eiji felt his heart drop in his chest as he watched the blond back into the wall, almost as if he had been physically hit. Clenching his fists, Ash opened his mouth to respond, but then shook his head and took off towards the office door.   
  
“Ash, wait—“ the brunet cried as the other boy pushed past him and sprinted out of the apartment.   
  
Without a second thought, Eiji ran out into the hall and towards the closing door, which led to the emergency stairs.  
  
He called out Ash’s name after spotting the blond a few flights down the staircase.   
  
“Stop following me,” Ash shouted as he continued down the stairs.   
  
“Wait!” Eiji yelled as he raced down the steps as fast as his legs would carry him. He managed to grab the other boy’s sleeve right as they reached the ground floor.   
  
Forcefully yanking his sleeve from the Japanese boy's grip, Ash stared at the exit. “Why don't you ever listen, just leave me alone."   
  
“Ash... you do not mean that. You are upset—“   
  
“What would you know,” the blond cried hysterically as he whipped around to face him, his jade eyes clouded with hurt and pain.   
  
The sight tore into Eiji’s chest like a knife. “Ash, please—“   
  
Shaking his head, Ash turned and began to walk towards the door.   
  
Dread and fear were quickly taking hold of Eiji's body. _He couldn’t let Ash go like this._  
  
“Aslan!” he cried desperately, the echos of his voice reverberating around the stairwell.   
  
The blond froze mid-step and turned back to glare at him, “You don’t belong here, Eiji. Go home. I never want to see your face again.”   
  
With that, Ash turned and ran out of the building. The bite behind his words and the iciness of his gaze left Eiji standing dumbfoundedly on the staircase. He slowly dropped his hand that was instinctively reaching towards the closing door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am super grateful and appreciative to everyone who has read and supported the story so far! :> This week has been rough, but getting this chapter out has been a light at the end of the tunnel! 
> 
> If you leave a comment it will probably make my day ;D 
> 
> Don't forget to fangirl w me on social media  
> [Tumblr](http://queensgrove.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/queensgrove96)


	6. Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to the final chapter of the series! Writing this one has truly been an emotional rollercoaster for me since I have been working on this series for so long. It has been somewhat like a crutch to completely ignore canon and write these two dorks in whatever wacky/serious/emotional scenario I wanted. 
> 
> I'd like to say a big thank you to all of my readers and everyone who left a kind comment or a kudos on this series, it's really meant the world to me and managed to put a smile on my face even during rough days. I hope you all enjoy this last installment along with the little surprise I have at the end. ♥︎

“My dear son-in-law! You’re finally back,” Max called from the table. He had returned to in his seat where he was drinking another glass of wine, surrounded by giggling housewives. 

Eiji barely registered the older man’s words as he dragged himself into the apartment, tears blurring his vision. Their neighbors questioning stares felt like pinpricks piercing his skin.

“Where’s Ash?”

“He is not coming back,” he said quietly as he slumped into his chair. 

Max let out a boisterous laugh and took another long drink of his wine. “Whatdya mean by that?”

The Japanese boy closed his eyes and tried to force the tears away. “A-Ash,” he fumbled over his words as he choked back a sob, “he is not coming back, ever.”

“Well, you know how teenagers are. He probably went to a bar or something—“ the older man’s voice trailed off as the housewives got up from their seats to crowd around Eiji. 

“Sweetie, will you tell us what happened?” Mrs. Owens leaned down to wrap an arm around the brunet's shaking shoulders.

“H-He said he never wanted to see me again.”

The ladies gasped in unison, and the other guests began whispering amongst themselves. “Oh, honey, you know that isn’t true,” Mrs. Coleman said softly.

“Ya’know I think you are taking this too seriously, Eiji.” Max leaned back in his chair, "Ash’ll be back soon enough—”

“Mr. Winston,” Mrs. Coleman interrupted, her kind smile instantly switching to a sharp gaze, "I think you may have had too much to drink.” 

Max audibly gulped as he paled under the scrutinous glares from the housewives. 

“Edward is right, though.” Mrs. Owens nodded, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “I don’t think Ash would miss out on the birthday cake that you made just for him.” 

“He would,” the brunet sniffled. Ash's icy glare still remained at the forefront of his mind, making his heart ache. 

“You know, dear,” Mrs. Coleman began to push back some of the hair stuck to his forehead with her hands. “Sometimes we say hurtful things to the ones we love the most, and I’m not quite sure what happened, but I know that boy loves you to death.” 

Eiji couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes. A few hours ago he would feel hopeful at her words, but now they meant nothing. “He doesn’t love me,” he admitted hopelessly. 

“Now, don’t be ridiculous,” Mrs. Owens chided. “If he doesn't love you, then why would he ask you to marry him?” 

“Eiji,” Max warned, his tone suddenly serious. 

What was there to hide anymore? Ash wasn’t coming back, so what was the point of keeping secrets.

“It is not true.” 

Guests quickly began whispering amongst themselves as they stared at him. 

“What do you mean, Eiji?” Mrs. Owens said gently. 

“I mean,” his voice cracked, causing him to let out a shaky breath as hot tears started to stream down his cheeks, “Ash never asked me to marry him, and we are not engaged, it was all a lie.” 

The sudden silence in the room was almost palpable. 

Mrs. Coleman was the first to speak up. “Leslie, go find him a blanket I think he’s in shock,” she instructed. 

“Listen to me, sweetie.” Their neighbor guided him to sit on the couch. “I know from time-to-time we tend to think the worst of ourselves in a stressful situation.” 

“W-What—“ 

“But that doesn’t mean the crazy thoughts we have are true.” 

Eiji stared blankly at the woman in front of him before starting to rub his tears away with the heel of his palm. Did she not believe him? 

“But I lied to all of you.. I am a terrible person.” 

“You aren’t a terrible person, Eiji,” Mrs. Owens smiled as she draped a blanket around his shoulders. “Would someone terrible go out of their way to help me bring up groceries to my apartment like you did the other day?” 

“Well—” 

“Or compliment my haircut when Mark didn’t even notice,” Mrs. Coleman glared over at her husband. 

“But—“ 

“How about when you said my new dress was beautiful? I was having an awful day until then,” another one of the housewives chimed in. 

“You ate one of my ginger snaps when I offered, and still said nice things even though I added salt instead of sugar.” 

“Or when I dropped casserole all over the floor in the lobby, and you stopped what you were doing to help me.” 

Eiji felt his face getting warm at their words. He figured all of that was being polite or having common decency in a situation. 

“C’mon everyone, I think it will make our host feel better if we assisted in cleaning up,” Mrs. Coleman announced cheerfully. 

“Denise, you can’t be serious—“ Mr. Coleman groaned from the table. 

“We are all going to help. That means you too, Mark.” 

The Japanese boy covered his mouth in disbelief as all of their neighbors began washing dishes and sweeping up the broken glass. They had even coerced Max into drying the clean dishware. 

“Here you go, sweetie,” Mrs. Owens gave a reassuring smile as she handed over a warm cup of tea. “You just take it easy.” 

Eiji had no idea how she found a clean mug, let alone knew how to use their kettle, but he graciously accepted the cup anyway. The jasmine tea felt nice on his raw throat. He had almost forgotten how loudly he had been yelling in the stairwell. 

As the guests were leaving, the housewives took turns, giving him hugs or words of encouragement. Max had even put a hand on his shoulder before walking out the door. 

“I know you think it went horribly, but in actuality, it could have been a lot worse. You should have seen my first dinner party,” Mrs. Owens laughed dryly. 

“Is that the one where Martha found all those condoms in your kitchen?” 

“ _Denise!_ ” She yelped. “It was a long time ago, would you stop bringing it up?” 

The two women began bickering amongst themselves before their husbands intervened and pulled them both out the door. 

*** 

When everyone had left, Eiji trudged into the bedroom, flopping down on the bed and curling into the sheets. Deep down, he had known all along that he hadn’t truly belonged here. He was just a simple photographer’s assistant that got in way over his head. Blinking back tears, Eiji tried to ignore the dull ache in his chest as he pulled the blankets closer. 

Wiping his damp cheeks with his palm, he stiffened as he became painfully aware of the band on his finger. Embarrassingly enough, he had worn it so much that it started to feel natural. He really was a fool for almost believing the string of lies he had caught himself up in. Ash wasn’t really his fiancé. He was just a gang leader in a foreign country who did or said anything he needed to in order to survive. 

_Maybe they both lived in two completely separate worlds, after all._

The brunet hesitated for a moment before pulling off the ring and tossing it across the room. Tugging the covers over his head, he squeezed his eyes shut and willed sleep to come. Tomorrow he would contact Ibe-san and get a ticket back to Japan. 

*** 

That night, amidst restless bouts of sleep, Eiji dreamt of a hospital, where he was reaching out towards Ash before getting viciously pulled away. He struggled against the force holding him back as he desperately called out the other boy’s name. The dream then transitioned to the public library, where he was frozen in place while he watched blood pool around Ash’s ankles. 

His eyes flew open as his body quickly shot up into a sitting position. His throat felt like it was closing as he stared at the other empty bed. 

“No, no, no,” he kept mindlessly repeating while tugging the drawer open on the bedside table. The room was still pitch black, making it difficult to see as Eiji desperately searched for one of the phones he knew Ash kept in there. He froze as his hand brushed against a familiar soft fabric. His pulse began to race as he pulled the red good luck charm out of the clutter. 

_Of course._ The Japanese boy let out a dry laugh as he ran his finger over the golden characters. His sister’s charm had worked, after all. 

He had fallen in love with a cunning, handsome, yet utterly _stupid_ American. 

Throwing off the sheets, Eiji raced to pull on pants and grabbed Ash’s jacket from yesterday, which had been left on his bed. He pocketed the small charm before running out the door. Racing down the stairs, it felt like he was back on the track, pole in hand as he ran up to the bar. 

This was the tallest bar he had ever faced, but he couldn’t let anything happen to Ash without telling him how he felt about him. And if the other boy still never wanted to see his face again, he would leave without question. 

But hopefully, that wouldn’t happen, he had Izumo and the luck of the Gods on his side. 

Bursting into the lobby, he ran up to the guard desk, startling poor old Mr. Jones, who looked like he had just started his shift. 

“Mr. Okumura, is everything okay,” the guard asked, his eyebrows raised in concern. 

“Taxi.. Mr. Jones, please,” he wheezed in response. 

“Taxi? It’s just past five, nothing is open at this hour.” 

“Please! It is Ash— an emergency.” His mind was racing, making it difficult to translate all his thoughts into English. 

“Alright, where do you want to go—” 

“The library!” 

Mr. Jones gave him a quizzical look before he picked up the phone and began dialing a number. 

Minutes felt like hours as Eiji rocked back and forth on his heels. He wanted nothing more than to bolt out the front door, but he knew running to the library on his own was too dangerous. 

“Okay, Mr. Okumura, the taxi just pulled up outside.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Jones!” 

“Let me walk you out—“ he faintly heard the older man start to say as he began to run. The blood roaring in his ears made it difficult to think about anything else besides getting to the library as quickly as possible. 

The Japanese boy yanked the car door open and jumped into the taxi, startling the driver. 

“The library, please!” 

“Which library—“ 

“Ah, the big one,” Eiji paused as he tried to think of something more specific. “There are lots of desks, and the windows are very tall..” 

“I’m just going to assume you mean the public library, kid.” 

*** 

Every second he spent waiting in traffic, the more impatient Eiji was becoming. The blaring car horns sounded more like background noise compared to the ringing in his ears. He had to hold back a groan, he should have known New York traffic would be awful no matter what time it was. 

After several blocks of stop-and-go traffic, the driver started to huff and grumble to himself. When another car suddenly pulled out in front of them, he rolled down the window in order to yell at the other driver. His speech was too fast for the Japanese boy to understand, but the rude gestures looked familiar. 

_He almost preferred Ash’s crazy driving._

As soon as the library was within sight, he handed the driver a wad of cash before dashing out the door. Salarymen and morning joggers were giving him odd looks as he sprinted down the block. It had been ages since he ran this quickly, but the anxiety he had felt time and time again while on the track was now nonexistent. 

The brunet stopped in front of the steep steps leading up to the public library. For a moment, a sense of fear took hold of him as he stared up at the looming stairs. Shaking his head, he managed to push the negative thoughts aside as he climbed up towards the door. 

As opposed to the last time Eiji came here, the reading room had barely any patrons. There seemed to be only a few tired college students, along with a group of elderly women taking up a small number of desks. In the far corner sat Ash, whose blond hair was disheveled–most likely from his bad habit of running his hands through it–as he stared lifelessly at a page in a book. Judging from the bags under his eyes, he hadn’t slept all night. 

“Ash, you are okay!” Eiji cried out in relief as he rushed across the room. Ash barely had time to look up from his book before the other boy was crashing into his arms, pulling him into a tight embrace. 

Despite what his thoughts kept telling him, the blond was still breathing, and he could feel his heart beating as he pulled him close. 

“Eiji..” Ash said slowly, confusion evident in his hoarse voice. 

“Oh, Ash,” he breathed before letting it all come out in a rush, “I had this horrible dream where you were in this room and you were bleeding—“ 

“Woah, slow down, I can barely understand you.” Taking hold of his shoulders, Ash gently pushed him back, so they were facing one another. 

“I..” Eiji started but fell silent when he caught sight of a very angry looking librarian. He paled when he realized that he was not only speaking quite loudly, but also he was essentially sitting in Ash’s lap as the entire room was staring at them. 

She cleared her throat, staring down at them through the rims of her glasses. “Apparently, I have to remind you two that this is a library.” 

“Shit—I mean crap, we’re sorry,” Ash stammered, his face becoming redder by the second. 

Standing up as quickly as possible, the brunet offered a quick apology to the librarian before bowing and rushing towards the exit, the other boy trailing behind him like a guilty kitten with its tail between its legs. 

*** 

Once he was outside, Eiji slumped down on the nearest bench. Soon after, Ash sat beside him, a tense stretch of silence passing between the two of them. 

“Eiji—“ 

“Wait, Ash,” he interrupted as he stared into those jade eyes. It was now or never. He was sure that Ash was about to ask him to leave. Clutching the charm in the pocket of the jacket, he took a deep breath. “When I was in Japan... I felt lost, but after I came here and met you, many things changed.” 

Ash’s breath hitched, but he said nothing. His eyes glistened in the morning light, they were the most vibrant shade of green that the brunet had ever seen. 

“I was scared at first, but you always protected me... and I wanted to do things for you too. Like making happy memories to replace all the bad ones you have.” 

Eiji found himself thinking back to throwing Mrs. Coleman’s orange casserole at one another, decorating the tree with Bones and Kong, eating strange things together the restaurant with the amazing view, and how warm he felt during all of it. Despite all the danger and death, he had witnessed in New York, he wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. All of a sudden, he felt foolish for not realizing his feelings sooner. 

“A-And I know that my English is no good, my cooking is bad, and I am only average looking.. but I want to make more happy memories with you..” he faltered, averting his gaze, so he was staring at the concrete. It felt like there was a stone lodged in his throat, preventing him from continuing. All of the emotions he had been holding back for so long were bubbling to the surface. “I love you, Ash, and if you want me to leave, I will go,” he managed to choke out, taking a cautious glimpse at the other boy. 

“I—me too, I love you so much, Eiji.” Tears started to stream down Ash’s pale face. “I don’t want you to go.. I didn’t mean the crap I said yesterday. I was just pissed off because of Max, and I took it out on you—which I never should have done. I’m so, so sorry I said those stupid things.” 

Reaching up, the brunet gently cupped the other boy's cheek and wiped away the tears with his thumb. He made sure to keep the physical contact as feather light as possible, so Ash could push him away if he felt uncomfortable. However, to Eiji’s surprise, the blond actually leaned into his touch. 

“It’s always been you, Eiji. I-I just can’t lose you too, that’s why I could never bring myself to say anything." 

“I already tell you.. that you will not lose me,” he huffed as he switched to pinching Ash’s cheek. "I promised forever, right?” 

“As long as you don’t end up killing me with your food or your klutzy habits,” Ash let out a watery laugh before wincing at a more forceful pinch to his face. 

Another moment of silence lapsed between the two of them. However, this time, it felt comfortable as they turned to watch the bustling New York streets. 

“There is one more thing I have to say to you,” Eiji started hesitantly, resisting the urge to bite his lip. 

“Hm?” 

“I told everyone that we were not actually engaged.” 

“Oh, and what did they say?” 

“I do not think they believed me..” 

Ash didn’t look betrayed or even upset that he had spilled their big secret. Instead, he seemed quite amused. “Well, I don’t really blame them,” he stifled a laugh before a small smile crossed his features, his face beaming like the morning sunlight. 

_Ah, he really loved this stupid American._

“You are a terrible liar, after all. Have you ever even told a proper lie before?” 

_Except for when he starts to say things like this._ Eiji groaned and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

*** 

As soon as the elevator reached their floor, a door audibly slammed open in their hallway. Still in her robe with rollers in her hair, Mrs. Coleman was rushing towards the both of them and she did not look happy. 

“Good morning, Mrs. Coleman—“ Ash began to greet their neighbor politely. 

“There you are, young man,” she interrupted as she sharply tugged on the blond's ear. 

Eiji had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing. 

“Why would you think it would be a good idea to run off on your own? You had us all worried sick!” 

“I—“ 

“You should have seen how upset your poor fiancé was,” she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “He was saying all these nonsensical things like how you weren’t actually engaged, it was heartbreaking!” 

“Oh, I heard about that,” Ash gave him a teasing grin, making Eiji’s face flush. Since he was so upset yesterday, he did admit some humiliating things without even thinking twice about what he was saying. 

“He was so distraught, the poor dear. He said that he believed you didn’t even love him, why would he say such a thing?” 

“I don’t know why he would say that,” the blond agreed, his eyebrows raised in amusement. 

“Well, everything is okay now,” Eiji piped up, wanting to put a stop to this embarrassing conversation as quickly as possible. 

“I told you that things would be fine,” Mrs. Coleman smiled, pulling him in for a quick hug. “And Ash,” she cleared her throat as she looked at the other boy. “People like your fiancé need to be cherished, he has a big heart and those are hard to come by.” 

“I know.. I’m really lucky,” Ash said quietly as he took Eiji’s hand in his own. 

“I’d better get these curlers out of my hair,” their neighbor glanced between the two of them with a knowing look. “I will be seeing you boys later.” 

“Have a good day, Mrs. Coleman,” Eiji responded cheerfully as she made her way back into her apartment. 

When they had first moved into this building, he thought all the housewives hated him from their strange looks and whispers. However, after that fateful day where he got cornered in the grocery store, he was able to get to know a few of his neighbors. And now, after all the kind things they have done for him, he would call both Mrs. Coleman and Owens friends. 

*** 

Once they were back in the apartment, Eiji watched as Ash trudged over to the dining chair and laid his head down on the table, not even bothering to take off his shoes. Seconds later, small snores could be heard coming from the blond. It was an adorable sight, _almost_ cute enough to make him forget about the trail of dirt footprints now littering their hallway, but not entirely. 

He would make sure to give Ash grief once he woke up. But first, he should make some coffee for both of them. Narrowly managing not to trip over the mountain of gifts, Eiji made his way into the kitchen to switch on the insufferable coffee machine. 

Grabbing the carton of milk out of the fridge, he noticed the untouched mustard-flavored birthday cake, which was still sitting on one of the shelves. 

_Coffee goes with cake, right?_

Eiji set down the coffee and cake slices at the table before taking a seat across from Ash, who was finally starting to stir from his nap. 

“Thanks for the coffee,” he said blearily, taking a slow sip from the mug. It took him a moment to register that a slice of cake was sitting in front of him. The blond furrowed his brows as he stared down at his plate in confusion. “What’s this?” 

“It’s your birthday cake,” the Japanese boy responded matter-of-factly. 

“Why is it.. that color,” Ash grimaced. 

“It was yellow, but then it turned more yellow when I added mustard—“ 

“Wait, you actually _made_ a mustard cake?” 

“I did,” Eiji grinned proudly, “It was not easy to cook, but you asked for it, so I tried my best!” 

Ash let out a pained noise as he stared down at the alarmingly-yellow cake. “It can’t be as bad as natto,” he mumbled lowly while taking a reluctant bite. 

“Is it good?” 

The way the blond’s face quickly paled as he forced himself to swallow answered the question. “It’s not the worst thing you’ve ever cooked,” he managed to choke out. 

“But the woman said it would be good,” Eiji frowned as he took a bite of his own slice. The flavor wasn’t terrible, the taste of mustard just overpowered everything else. 

“What woman?” 

“The woman on the box.. Betty..Cracker?” 

Stifling a laugh, Ash leaned back in his chair. “Betty Crocker? You know that’s not a real person, it’s the brand name.” 

“What do you mean? If she is not real, then how can she promise that her cake will be good?” 

For a moment, it looked like the blond wanted to say something in response, but he just shook his head before returning to his coffee. “Well then, why don’t you call her up and tell her that she’s a filthy liar?” 

“I am not doing that. I am not mean like you are.” 

“Says the person who is making me eat a mustard cake.” 

“You are the one who asked for that mustard cake!” 

*** 

After tripping over the stack of presents, and nearly falling on his face, for a total of three times, Eiji finally had enough. The pile of gifts clogged the narrow space between the table and the entry to the kitchen. “Ash, when are you going to open these boxes,” he said through gritted teeth. 

“I wasn’t planning on opening them at all,” Ash responded cooly from his spot at the table, where he had been typing away on the tablet for a few hours. The plate of half-eaten cake sat forgotten to the side. 

“All the neighbors got you gifts, and you are too rude to open them?” 

“That’s not what I meant,” the blond sighed. “We didn’t have money for presents on my birthday when I was a kid, and after I got picked up by Goldzine.. you can imagine what kind of gifts I got there.” 

The thought alone made Eiji’s stomach turn. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Ash’s eyes flashed up to meet his. “I don’t need any of that stuff, anyway.” 

“But what are we going to do with it all?” The Japanese boy muttered to himself as he leaned down to pick up one of the bags. Pulling out the tissue paper, he unwrapped it to find a light blue sweater. The material was felt like it was of good quality. It looked similar to the one he saw Bones wearing a few months ago, but without all the holes, which gave him an idea. 

“Why don’t we give them to Bones, Kong, Alex, and everyone else?” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Can’t we just give them to a normal charity?” 

“No,” Eiji frowned, “I saw Bones wear a sweater just like this one, but it looked old with many holes.” 

“So? Bones can go get himself a new one.” 

“He looked cold, Ash, do you not remember?” 

“Not really.” 

“I do not care what you think then. I am giving it to him.. and the rest I will give to the others!” He began ripping open the other gifts and gathering them into a pile. “You say to me earlier that they are coming here for a meeting.” 

“You are so stubborn,” Ash groaned as he sat down the tablet and reluctantly began to help. 

Soon enough, piles of clothes, books, along with a few miscellaneous items like sunglasses and a pair of headphones, were sitting on the table. Right as Eiji was about to grab the cookbook from Mrs. Owens to add to the stack, Ash quickly snatched it away. 

“Not this one,” he said hastily, holding the book protectively in his arm. 

“Okay,” the brunet stifled a laugh, a warm feeling blooming in his chest. _Ash didn’t want to keep any of the gifts except for the one that was associated with him_. Maybe it was a little selfish, but the thought of it made him happy. 

*** 

“Yo, boss, why did you call us early? I thought the meeting wasn’t until later?” Kong asked as he sat back on the couch. 

“I guess you could say that something came up,” Ash answered simply. 

Alex gave a questioning look but didn’t pry. 

“But before we get down to business, Eiji has something to say. And I don’t want you all to suddenly expect more free handouts after this—“ 

“Oh, Ash, why do you have to be mean like that?” Eiji huffed. 

“Can I guess what it is?” Bones called out enthusiastically. “Are you two finally going out—ouch Kong it ‘urts when you punch my arm like that!” 

“ _No_ , you can’t guess,” the blond snapped, making a few of the gang members flinch. A tense silence followed. No one wanted to say anything to further anger their boss. 

Letting out a sigh, the Japanese boy began grabbing the gifts from off the table. “Here, Bones, for you,” he smiled as he handed over the sweater. 

“For me..?” Bones echoed as he stared down at the fabric. “Are you sure Eiji, this looks really nice..” 

“I am sure. Your other one has holes, yes?” 

“Yeah, it’s pretty old. Don’ even remember where I got it.” 

“And this one has no holes, so it is perfect.” 

Bones broke out into a giddy grin. “You’re the greatest, Eiji! I don’t care if I get my ass ‘anded to me.. you are the best thing to ever happen to the boss.” 

The other members started whispering nervously amongst themselves, sneaking glances over at Ash, who remained unusually quiet. 

“Thanks, Bones,” Eiji felt his face warm at the compliment. He tried to avoid Ash’s piercing gaze as he went to get the sunglasses. “This one is for you, Alex. I notice yours has a crack.” 

“You really don’t have to..” 

“What do you mean? How are yours supposed to protect your eyes if they are broken?” 

“He has a point, Alex,” Kong chimed in. 

Accompanied by Ash's grumbling and impatient noises in the background, Eiji was able to finish giving out all of the gifts. He even had some time to make a pot of tea before the meeting started. As he was grabbing the milk, his eyes landed on the leftover cake. Since he had no other sweets to serve, he might as well cut up the cake for everyone. 

“Here you go,” he smiled as he put down the plates and cups on the table. He really didn’t expect anyone to eat it, but it would have been rude to not offer anything to guests. 

“Wow, Eiji, and you say I’m the mean one,” the blond raised his eyebrows in amusement at the paling faces of his gang, who were starting to share unsure looks with one another. 

“It is better than nothing,” he stuck his tongue out at Ash. 

“I-I’ll do it,” Kong jumped up from his seat to grab some cake. “Eiji has been nothing but kind to us, so I’ll eat it.” 

Everyone’s attention turned to him as Kong held up the fork to his lips. After a moment of hesitation, he closed his eyes and shoved the cake into his mouth. 

“So, 'ow is it?” Bones asked; he seemed to be at the edge of his seat. 

It seemed the more he chewed, the paler Kong was becoming. “It’s.. something,” he managed to say before swallowing. One moment he appeared to be fine. However, the next, he was slowly teetering and then collapsing on the couch. 

“Kong!” Eiji rushed over to see that the gang member had passed out on the couch. 

“Wow, he really is out cold,” Alex observed. 

Ash was holding a hand over his mouth in an attempt to try and hold back the bout of laughter. 

_No one had ever passed out at his food before.. maybe he would give the baking a rest for a little while. Stupid Betty Cracker, maybe he would call and complain._

*** 

The chaotic and emotionally draining events of the day had Eiji passing out sooner than he would have liked. He also ended waking up just as early the next day. Light was just starting to stream in the windows as he turned his head to see that the other bed was empty. 

Yesterday, Ash had left with the rest of his gang with the promise that he would be back as soon as possible. By the state of the clean, unwrinkled sheets, it seemed like he hadn’t been back yet. 

It was too early to start worrying over nothing. He just needed a cup of coffee. 

Scuffling into the other room, Eiji’s jaw dropped at the state of the kitchen. It looked as if a bomb had gone off with dirty dishes, bowls, and utensils littering the counters. The sink was almost full with pots stacked on top of one another. In the center of it all stood Ash, who was pushing his glasses up as he read from the cookbook he had received. 

“Oh, Eiji, you’re up. I thought I’d be awake earlier than you for once.” 

“What is going on,” the Japanese boy blinked as he took in the scene in front of him. 

“Well, I was just going to make that dora-bean-thing, but then I realized we had leftover ingredients from the Asian market, so I decided to make more stuff.” 

“Right..” 

“I’m making you breakfast,” the blond elaborated, gesturing to the table. “Well, I’m not sure if this stuff is actually breakfast food or not.” 

Eiji was speechless as he sat down in one of the dining chairs. The table was packed with plates of traditional Japanese snacks and side dishes. They looked exactly like how he remembered them in Japan, not to mention they smelled absolutely delicious. 

_Why was Ash so good at everything?_

With his mouth salivating just by looking at everything, he could hardly wait to dig in. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, he chose to start with the dorayaki, since it was the one he had picked out from the book. 

The brunet sighed in delight as the food almost seemed to melt in his mouth. The dorayaki was soft and pillowy with just the perfect amount of sweetness from the red bean. It was a far cry from his rice cooker pancake. 

“Here, I just finished this one,” Ash set down a plate of omurice down in front of him. “It was interesting to make.. eggs, rice, and ketchup is a combination I never thought I’d see.” 

“It is good. Easy to make, so we eat it a lot in Japan.” 

“Some people in America get upset if you put ketchup on eggs,” the blond grinned mischievously as he slid into the seat next to him. 

“All you Americans eat is fried food, so why do you hate ketchup on eggs?” 

“Dunno, but you’ll have to let me try that to make a believer out of me.” 

As Eiji went to hand over the chopsticks, he froze when he noticed that Ash wasn’t asking for utensils, instead he was waiting with his mouth open. _Did he want him to feed him?_

The room seemed to be getting increasingly warm, he could tell that his palms were sweating while he was cutting a bit of the omurice and gingerly placing it into the other boy’s mouth. 

“Mm,” Ash took his time chewing. “It’s not bad.” 

“See, I tell you—“ 

“You keep eating. I think I forgot something.” 

_Was that a bit of nervousness that he heard in Ash’s voice?_ He blinked as he watched the blond rush out of the room. Must be nothing. 

Thoroughly enjoying one of the rice balls, he didn’t even notice Ash come back into the room. When his gaze met those green eyes, he nearly jumped out of his chair. He was sure his jaw was hanging open as he stared at the blond, who was standing in front of him with a big bouquet of red roses. 

“I owe you for those daisies, so I figured I would give you these in person.” 

“A-Ash..” 

“No note this time, but I have something else for you,” he said softly as he handed over the bouquet. 

Carefully taking the flowers into his own hands, Eiji peeled back the paper to see the same ring that he had thrown off in his fit the other day. 

“I saw you tossed it away, so I decided to add something extra to it.” 

Turning the band, he saw a word engraved on the inside of the ring. 

_Forever_

It was like all the air in his lungs got knocked out of him. Time seemed to stand still as he turned the ring in his hand, running a thumb over the engraved letters. When he slipped it into his finger, it felt like it had always belonged there. 

“Hopefully, it is enough to meet your standards,” Ash broke the silence. His tone was playful but there was a undoubtedly fond expression in his eyes. “I don’t know anyone else who would throw away a solid gold piece of jewelry.” 

“Stop being a brat, I threw it because I was upset the other day!” 

“Are you still upset with me?” 

“Not really.. you make me all this good food. Are you sure that you are not a housewife?” 

“I think you are more of a housewife than me, you should have seen how much shit I’ve gotten from the neighbors for the other night.” 

“You deserve it.” 

“I already said I’m sorry,” Ash laughed, “Why do you have to send your fellow housewives to attack me?” 

“Because you were mean,” he answered matter-of-factly. 

“Alright, alright. Let’s just get back to the food, there’s a lot here you have to let me try.” 

“You want me to feed you all this? Do I not get to eat?” 

“Sure, you can eat it and then give me some.” 

Eiji couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the snickering blond. Nevertheless, he still obliged and fed Ash a few bites after he ate some. They spent the rest of the morning exchanging stories, Eiji recounting times where he had eaten these dishes with his family and Ash reminiscing about cooking with his brother. For once, it felt like they were just two regular teenagers who could laugh freely with one another. 

Right at this moment, for the first time in a long time, the Japanese boy who was whisked to a foreign country where he knew nothing of the culture and barely spoke the language, felt like he truly belonged somewhere. 

\---

  
Epilogue 

“I thought I tell you before that it is two claps not three,” Eiji sighed as he tossed a coin into the shrine offering box. 

“Yeah, but three just sounds better, don’t you think?” Ash flashed him a mischievous grin. 

“It does not matter what I think, it is tradition.” He huffed at his stupid, American husband. Even though they have been married for almost three months, every time he referred to Ash as his husband, his heart fluttered in his chest. It didn’t seem like that long ago that they were in the New York condo, lying to all their neighbors that they were engaged to one another. “You know this shrine is the god of marriage? Do you want to bring bad luck to us by not following tradition?” 

The blond looked apologetic for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “I think our wedding was pretty untraditional, but we are doing fine.” 

That was one word for it. As their marriage was still illegal in Japan, a friend of Ibe’s volunteered his fishing boat to host their wedding in international waters. Even though the smell of salmon was ever-present, it was still the best day of Eiji’s life. Max, who had come to visit, was wiping his eyes the entire ceremony while his sister cheered so loudly that it overpowered the sound of crashing waves. 

“You are in Japan now, we take tradition very seriously here,” Eiji frowned at Ash’s unconvinced expression. “Do it for me?” 

“Alright, fine.” He conceded before bowing and clapping the proper number of times. “It’s only because you look so beautiful in that yukata, the picture didn’t do it much justice.” 

“A-Ash,” the brunet spluttered as he looked around nervously. He could hear some nearby girls whispering and giggling in Japanese over the handsome foreigner. They weren’t wrong, Ash’s deep brown yukata complemented his eyes, and he looked stunning, even with the nori nori mask he was wearing on his head. And yet he was complimenting him? 

“C’mon old man, not all of us can waste all day hanging out by the shrines. You’ve been talking about this festival for months, so why don’t we go enjoy it?” 

“Okay, I need to show you how many prizes I can win. I am the best at festival games!” 

“Oh, I’m sure that I can win more.” 

It made Eiji’s heart soar as he watched Ash smile when he managed to catch a goldfish in the washi paper net and how he let out carefree laughs as he missed all the targets in ring toss. At the shateki gun shooing game, he showed the kids how to hold the plastic rifle to win the best prizes. He even joked when Eiji dropped their shared candy apple. 

Things hadn’t always been easy since Ash had come to Izumo. The language barrier and cultural differences always seemed to work against him, not to mention the nightmares. However, the blond always came out on top. He had been learning Japanese rather quickly, despite it being so different from English. It also wasn’t difficult for him to win the favor of his family since he always seemed to know what to say and when to say it. 

“What’s next?” his husband grinned as he took off the nori nori mask and proceeded to gently put it on Eiji’s head. 

“Well, the fireworks are soon..” the brunet trailed off as he caught sight of a particular booth. 

“What is it?” 

“You know that booth, it sells sweet potatoes.. and I promised I would buy you one!” 

“I’ll go with you—“ 

“No, you stay here to save a spot, and I will be right back,” Eiji gave a reassuring smile before rushing off to the vendor. Since everyone was gathering to watch the fireworks, the line was short, meaning it wasn’t long before he had the treat warming up his hands. As he was walking back up the hill, the smell of the freshly roasted potato was becoming too hard to resist. No one would notice if he took a _tiny_ bite. 

*** 

“There you are,” Ash sighed in relief. “In the time you were gone, I’ve had three Japanese mothers come up to me asking if I was lost.” 

“Three? That is a record,” he stifled a laugh as he handed over the sweet potato. 

“I was surprised too-wait.. there is a bite missing out of this.” 

“Oh, is there?” 

The blond saw through him almost immediately. “You are a terrible liar. If you weren’t such a klutz when you dropped the apple earlier, then you wouldn’t be hungry.” 

“Y-You silly Americans, never happy with anything! I only took one bite, and you act like I eat the whole thing.” 

“You did take a bite out of my sweet potato that you bought for me to eat.” 

Eiji began to retort, but the boom of the first firework drowned out his words. 

Both of them turned to watch the firework display. The vibrant pinks, blues, and yellows were all reflected in Ash’s jade eyes, a beautiful smile crossing his features as he stared up at the sky in awe. Eiji could feel the warmth blooming in his chest as the blond laced their fingers together. Even after the fireworks ended and the crowd dispersed, they stayed together at the top of the small hill. 

“You know, before I met you, I never thought I could feel like this.” Ash gripped onto his hand tighter as he turned to look at him in the eyes. “I was so jealous of you.. that you could be free to do anything and to love anyone.” 

Eiji turned to face his husband. It was rare that the blond would open up to him like this, but he was honored that he could place his trust in him. He took his other hand and ran a finger along the cool metal of Ash's wedding band, which matched his exactly. 

“I felt so trapped, Eiji. I lost so many people, and I thought no one would care about me again. Who would love someone like me.. all I was good for was a quick fuck.” 

“Oh, Ash..” 

“But now I’m here with you, and I don’t have to be looking over my shoulder all the time. My biggest worry is how to avoid eating your natto.. it sometimes doesn’t feel real that I’m married to someone who has the biggest heart of anyone I know.” 

He knew that he was probably crying. They both went through a lot in New York, it was a place of terrible memories, but also a place with precious memories that he would never forget. “I will always be by your side, Aslan. Forever.” 

“I know you will be. Thank you for changing my life.. for giving me hope— a future. I will always love you, my klutzy Japanese husband. I'm yours.. forever.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out [these](https://twitter.com/natsunosho/status/1155508053044690944?s=20) [beautiful](https://twitter.com/kt_965/status/1053558364133683200) [artworks](https://twitter.com/kiringo69/status/1141742961719250944) that inspired part of this chapter ♡
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! :D If it weren't for your support this fic would never have reached this length! Love you all!! 
> 
> Also, since I've been writing this fic for so long I'm curious to know what your favorite part has been! Leave me a comment and let me know :D 
> 
> Check me out on my other social media, I post BF over there too:  
> [Tumblr](http://queensgrove.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/queensgrove96)


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